Lactuca muralis

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Asterales

Familia: Asteraceae
Subfamilia: Cichorioideae
Tribus: Cichorieae
Subtribus: Lactucinae
Genus: Lactuca
Species: Lactuca muralis
Name

Lactuca muralis (L.) Gaertn., Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2(3): t. 158. (1791)
Note: Although Gaertner did not refer to the basionym, his L. muralis has been presumed to be a comb. nov. (vide St. Louis Code Art. 33.2 & Shenzhen Code Art. 41.4) (IPNI, 2019)
Isonyms

Lactuca muralis (L.) Fresen., Taschenb. Bot. Exkurs., ed. 2 484. (1833)
Lactuca muralis (L.) E.Mey., Chloris Han. 431. (1836)

Synonyms

Basionym
Prenanthes muralis L., Sp. Pl. 2: 797. (1753)
Homotypic
Chondrilla muralis (L.) Lam.
Cicerbita muralis (L.) Wallr.
Mycelis muralis (L.) Dum.
Phaenixopus muralis (L.) Koch
Heterotypic
Chondrilla erysimifolia (Willd.) Poir.
Chondrilla ruderalis Gaertn. ex Steud.
Hieracium mycelis E. H. L. Krause
Hieracium pauciflorum Bernh.
Lactuca atlantica Pomel
Lactuca erysimifolia (Willd.) DC.
Lactuca muralis f. integrifolia Beckhaus
Lapsana erysimifolia (Willd.) Thell.
Mycelis angulosa Cass.
Mycelis muralis f. integrifolia (Beckhaus) Soo
Prenanthes erysimifolia Willd.
Prenanthes multiflosculosa Nees
Prenanthes parviflora Gilib.
Prenanthes vulgaris Gueldenst.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Andorra, Spain, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Serbia & Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece (incl. Kiklades), European Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Crimea, NW-, C-, E- & S-European Russia (incl. Kaliningrad region)
Continental: Asie
Northern Caucasus, Georgia [Caucasus], Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey (Inner Anatolia, N-Anatolia, NE-Anatolia, NW-Anatolia: Bithynia, S-Anatolia, W-Anatolia, WN-Anatolia)

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

Gaertner, J. 1791. De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum: accedunt seminum centuriae quinque priores cum tabulis Aeneis LXXIX. 2(3): t. 158.

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Lactuca muralis. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2019 Mar. 29. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Lactuca muralis. Published online. Accessed: Mar. 29 2019.
The Plant List 2013. Lactuca muralis in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published online. Accessed: 2019 Mar. 29.
Tropicos.org 2019. Lactuca muralis. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 29 Mar. 2019.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Mauerlattich
English: Wall Lettuce
suomi: Jänönsalatti
français: Laitue des murailles
lietuvių: Miškinė zuiksalotė
polski: Sałatnik leśny

Lactuca muralis, the wall lettuce, is a perennial flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae, also referred to as Mycelis muralis.[2][3]

Its chief characteristic is its open airy clumps of yellow flowers. Each "flower" is actually a composite flower, consisting of 4–5 petal-like flowers (strap or ray flowers), each approximately 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) in length. There are no disc flowers. Lactuca muralis grows about 2–4 feet (0.6–1.2 m) tall with the lower leaves pinnately toothed and clasping.

Description
Mycelis muralis a2.jpg

Lactuca muralis is slender, hairless herb[2] growing from 25 to 150 cm (10 to 59 in) tall. It often has purplish stems, and exudes a milky juice.

The lower leaves are lyre shaped, pinnate shaped. The lobes are triangular in shape, the terminal lobe being the largest.[4] The upper leaves are stalkless, smaller and less lobed. All leaves are red tinged.[5]

The achenes are short beaked, spindle shaped and black. The pappus has simple white hairs,[2] the inner longer than the outer.

The flower heads are yellow, small with only 4–5 yellow ray florets.[6][2] 1 cm (1⁄2 in) wide more or less, on branches 90 degrees to the main stem, in loose panicle.[7] It flowers from June until September.[8]

Lactuca muralis is similar to Lactuca serriola L. and Lactuca virosa L. but clearly distinguished by having only 5 florets.[9]
Taxonomy

The specific Latin epithet muralis is interpreted as 'growing on walls'.[10]
Distribution and ecology

Lactuca muralis is a native of Europe but has invaded shady roadsides, paths and logged areas of the Pacific Northwest[11] and New England[12] It has become naturalized in parts of Northern Ireland as long ago as 1913.[13] It was first recorded in The Burren, where it is now frequent, in 1939.[14]

It can be found in woodlands, especially Beech.[7] It is also found in calcareous soils, and walls.
References

"Lactuca muralis". Tropicos. Missouri Botanical Garden.
Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ISBN 978-185918-4783
Altervista Flora Italiana, Lactuca muralis (L.) Gaertn. includes photos and European distribution map
Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968 Excursion Flora of the British Isles Second Edition. ISBN 0-521-04656-4 Cambridge
Blamey, Fitter, Fitter, Marjorie, Richard, Alistair (2003). Wild Flowers of Britain and Ireland. A & C Black - London. pp. 302–303. ISBN 0-7136-5944-0.
Sterry, Paul (2006). Complete British Wild Flowers. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-0-00-781484-8.
Webb, D.A., Parnell, J. and Doogue. D. 1996. An Irish Flora. Dundalgan Press (W. Tempest) Ltd. ISBN 0 85221 131 7
Rose, Francis (1981). The Wild Flower Key. Frederick Warne & Co. pp. 390–391. ISBN 0-7232-2419-6.
Martin, W.K.1965. The Concise British Flora in Colour Ebury Press
Archibald William Smith Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins&pg=PA160 Lactuca muralis, p. 160, at Google Books
Turner and Gustafson, Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest.
"Mycelis muralis (wall-lettuce)". Go Botany. New England Wildflower Society. Retrieved 2018-06-24..
Hackney, P. Ed. 1992. Stewart and Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland. Institute of Irish Studies and The Queen's University of Belfast. ISBN 0 85389 446 9(HB)
"Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora:Mycelis muralis". Biological Records centre and Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 18 June 2020.