Prickly Lettuce

Lactuca serriola

Found in roadsides, disturbed ground, pastures. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height: 2–6 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

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At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or biennial
Bloom: June to November

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 1 West Virginia county.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

52CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Lactuca

Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
Apamea amputatrixYellow-Headed Cutworm Moth
Apamea devastatorGlassy Borer, Glassy Cutworm Moth
Apantesis carlottaCarlotta's Tiger Moth
Apantesis virgoVirgin Tiger Moth
Arctia parthenosSt. Lawrence Tiger Moth
Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth

Show all 52

Cerastis tenebriferaReddish Speckled Dart
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Chytolita morbidalisMorbid Owlet
Condica vecorsDusky Groundling
Cucullia intermediaIntermediate Cucullia, Goldenrod Cutworm, Dashed Paint, Intermediate Hooded Owlet Moth
Dichomeris ligulellaPalmerworm
Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Heliothis phloxiphagaSpotted Straw Sun Moth, Darker Spotted Straw Moth
Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
Lacinipolia implicataImplicit Arches
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Macaria ulsterataBirch Angle, Peacock Moth
Manduca sextaCarolina Sphinx, Tomatoe Sphinx, Tobacco Hornworm
Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Pagara simplexMouse-Colored Lichen Moth
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Phalaenostola metonalisPale Epidelta, Pale Phalaenostola
Phycitodes reliquellaWhite-Edged Phycitodes
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Scopula cacuminariaFrosted Tan Wave
Spaelotis clandestinaClandestine Dart, W-Marked Cutworm
Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
Sutyna privataCheckered Sallow, Private Sallow
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Eucosma ornatula
Thyraylia bunteana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

9Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Lactuca

Andrena chromotricha
Andrena runcinatae
Ashmeadiella bucconis
Dianthidium curvatum
Dianthidium simile
Melissodes confusus
Melissodes illatus
Melissodes subillatus
Melissodes vernoniae

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

7BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lactuca

Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Asteraceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Height · “2–6 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Life cycle · “Annual or biennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Lactuca scariola

Conservation status

West Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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