Lactuca serriola

Also known as Prickly Lettuce, Compass Plant, Wild Lettuce, Scarole

Prickly lettuce is well known for its unique leaf orientation, twisting its vertical blades north-south to minimize intense midday sun exposure and conserve water. Broken stems exude a bitter white latex that deters herbivorous insects, while pale yellow dandelion-like flower heads bloom along tall upright stalks in late summer. As the primary wild ancestor of modern cultivated lettuce, it thrives in disturbed soils, roadsides, and agricultural fields worldwide.