Lactuca saligna

Annual or biennial, 20–100 cm high; stems erect, branched. Leaves green, sometimes lower midrib spiny; basal and lower cauline leaves sessile, amplexicaul, lanceolate in outline, 8–20 cm long, 0.5–5 cm wide, usually pinnatisect with few narrow retrorse lobes, or runcinate, rarely entire; upper cauline leaves sessile, linear, mostly entire, becoming bract-like at inflorescences. Capitula pedunculate, 1–3 in axils of reduced leaves; involucre 7–10 mm long (to 15 mm long in fruit); inner longer, erect in fruit, mostly green. Florets slightly exceeding involucre, pale yellow; ligule 4–5 mm long. Cypselas elliptic, 5–9 mm long (including 2–5 mm beak) minutely bristly above, grey-brown; pappus c. 5 mm long. Flowers Oct.–May.