Flower profile
Common blue lettuce
Lactuca pulchella
Common blue lettuce (Lactuca pulchella) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.
Common blue lettuce is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: North Dakota
Quick look
Lactuca pulchella, known as blue lettuce, common blue lettuce, or wild blue lettuce, is a North American flowering plant in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Some authors place it as a subspecies or variety of a broader concept of Lactuca tatarica, while others consider L. tatarica to occur only in Europe and Asia. Lactuca pulchella is commonly separated into the genus Mulgedium, as Mulgedium pulchellum.
- It belongs to the Asteraceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a biennial, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 31 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to North Dakota. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 111 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #64 among the 116 flowers on our North Dakota list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- T5 See NatureServe for what T5 means. NatureServe
- North Dakota
- No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in North Dakota.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MI (SX), MO (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records common blue lettuce in 31 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
North Dakota counties with USDA records: Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Emmons, Foster, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Sargent, Sheridan, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells, Williams.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Lactuca oblongifolia, Mulgedium pulchellum, Sonchus tataricus.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 455 counties across 25 states; the most are in South Dakota (50), North Dakota (48), Minnesota (46).
More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.
More North Dakota flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile LATAP.
- iNaturalist, Lactuca pulchella: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Lactuca pulchella (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Lactuca pulchella (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Bob Miller via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.