Wall Lettuce, Lactuca muralis
Description
The Wall Lettuce, is an edible perennial flowering plant in the dandelion family. It is related to both the Wild Lettuce and Spiky Lettuce, and is native to Europe. It can be found in Beech woods, on disturbed ground, and, as it's name suggests, growing in or on stone walls. Wall Lettuce is a slender, hairless herb, growing from 25 to 150 cm tall, with purplish stems and lyre-shaped leaves. Between June and September, it produces small yellow flowers that open when exposed to sunlight. It exudes a milky juice when crushed, which can have a mild sedative effect, and can be used medicinally in a tea or tincture as a relaxant, or to help with insomnia, in a similar way to it's close relative, the Wild Lettuce. The young leaves and shoots can be used raw in salads, added to soups and stews, or cooked and eaten like spinach.
Wall Lettuce has composite flowers, with each petal actually being a flower in itself. They are known as "florets".
Wall Lettuce Checklist
Habitat
🌳 Deciduous (Beech) Woodland.
🚜 Hedgerows, including field edges, and on walls.
🏡 Urban Green Spaces, including scrubland, parks and gardens.
Season
🌸🌞🍂 May - Sep
Leaves
☘️ The lower leaves are lyre shaped, much like dandelion leaves, with the leaf lobes being triangular in shape. The upper leaves are stalkless, smaller and less lobed. All leaves have a red-purple tinge. When crushed, the leaves produce a milky juice.
Flowers
🌷 Tiny and yellow. Each "flower" is actually a composite flower, consisting of 4-5 flat, petal-like flowers, known as florets. They bloom from June until September.
Stem
🌱 The flower stem is smooth, green and and hairless.
Edible Parts
☘️ Leaves
Aroma / Taste
👃 Indistinct Aroma.
👅 The leaves are slightly bitter tasting when raw.
ID Notes
🟩 ID Difficulty - Beginner
👀 The red-tinged, dandelion-like leaves, the composite flowerheads and the milky sap are all key identifiers of this plant.
Uses
🥗 Salad - Can be eaten raw and added to salads.
🥬 Green - Can be cooked as a vegetable.