Creeping lettuce is a small, mat-forming relative of dandelions that spreads by runners, with roundish leaves and yellow flower heads. It is native to Japan, Korea, and China, and in the United States it has turned up locally as a lawn weed in the Northeast.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A low, hairless perennial that creeps along the ground on runners (stolons). Flowering stems reach about 6 in (15 cm).
- Leaves
- Stalked leaves with broadly oval to nearly round blades 0.2–1.2 in (0.5–3 cm) long, smooth-edged or faintly toothed.
- Flowers
- Yellow flower heads, one to three on stalks up to about 6 in (15 cm) tall.
- Flowering time
- June–August in the northeastern US.
- Fruit
- Reddish-brown, somewhat flattened seeds 0.16–0.24 in (4–6 mm) long, each with a slender beak nearly as long as the seed.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Lawns
- Open slopes
- Fields and disturbed ground
- Range
- Native to Japan, Korea, and China, where it is especially common in Japan. Locally naturalized in the northeastern US (New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware).
- Preferred conditions
- Open, sunny spots, often rocky ground with thin soil, as well as farm fields and abandoned lots.
- Flowering
Flowers Jun–Aug
Flowers Jun–Aug
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
More species to explore
Record what you meet and build your own collection
Your photos are kept with their date and place, and you can fill regional albums one species at a time.