Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, often ingested for its mild analgesic and sedative effects.It is related to common lettuce (L. sativa), and is often called wild lettuce, bitter lettuce, laitue vireuse, opium lettuce, poisonous lettuce, tall lettuce, great lettuce or rakutu-karyumu-so.
Lactuca virosa is biennial, similar to prickly lettuce Lactuca serriola but taller – it can grow to 200 cm (80 inches or almost 7 feet). It is also stouter, the stem and leaves are more purple flushed,[disputed – discuss] and the leaves are less divided, but more spreading,similarly to Mycelis muralis but showing more than 5 florets.
The achene is purple black, without bristles at the tip. The pappus is the same as Lactuca serriola.
In the northern hemisphere, it flowers from July until September.
This plant might be poisonous
How to get rid of:
Constant weeding. the manual method is your best option.
