Launaea intybacea
(bitter lettuce)

Preferred Common Name

• bitter lettuce

Other Scientific Names

• Brachyramphus caribaeus DC.
• Brachyramphus goraeensis (Lam.) DC.
• Brachyramphus heyneanus Wight
• Brachyramphus intybaceus (Jacq.) DC.
• Brachyramphus remotiflorus (DC.) Kamelin
• Brachyramphus schimperi Sch.Bip. ex Schweinf.
• Brachyramphus sonchifolius Thwaites
• Brachyramphus taraxacoides DC.
• Chondrilla indica Steud.
• Chondrilla sonchifolia (Willd.) Poir.
• Cicerbita intybacea (Jacq.) Wallr.
• Lactuca caribaea (DC.) Sch.Bip.
• Lactuca goraeensis (Lam.) Sch.Bip.
• Lactuca intybacea Jacq.
• Lactuca intybacea Jacq. ex Murray
• Lactuca nudicaulis var. major Bolle
• Lactuca pinnatifida (Lour.) Merr.
• Lactuca remotiflora DC.
• Lactuca remotiflora DC. ex Wight
• Lactuca runcinata DC.
• Lactuca runcinata DC. ex Wight
• Lactuca schimperi Jaub. & Spach
• Lactuca taraxacoides (DC.) Sch.Bip.
• Launaea goraeensis (Lam.) O.Hoffm.
• Launaea remotiflora Amin ex Rech.f.
• Launaea stocksiana (Boiss.) Kuntze
• Phoenixopus intybaceus (Jacq.) Less.
• Prenanthes sonchifolia Willd.
• Scorzonera pinnatifida Lour.
• Sonchus calyculatus Roxb. ex DC.
• Sonchus goraeensis Lam.
• Sonchus spachii Schweinf.
• Zollikoferia stocksiana Boiss.

International Common Names

• English: wild lettuce
• Spanish: achicoria; achicoria azul; chicoria; lechuga amarga
• French: chicorée alimentaire; chicorée cultivée; chicorée des jardins; chicorée frisée ; chicorée marrón; chicorrée; laitue amère

Local Common Names

• Cuba: achicoria silvestre; lenteja de agua
• Dominican Republic: lechugilla; lino criollo
• Haiti: chicorée sauvage; laitue sauvage
• Namibia: dai-haib

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Dicotyledonae
•                     Order: Asterales
•                         Family: Asteraceae
•                             Genus: Launaea
•                                 Species: Launaea intybacea

The genus Launaea comprises about 50-60 species of annual and perennial herbs mostly native to tropical Asia and Africa. Lowlands across Northern and Eastern Africa are particularly rich in Launaea species (PROTA, 2018). Kilian (1997) revised the genus Launaea and recognized a total of 54 species including many species that previously were classified within the genus Lactuca. In fact, Kilian proposed and described the vegetative features that can be used to distinguish Launaea from the similar genus Lactuca: Launaea consists of herbs with subcompressed to subterete cypselae and weakly exannulate and irregularly-costate carpopodia, while Lactuca consists of herbs with compressed cypselae and smooth-annular carpopodia (Kilian, 1997).

The species Launaea intybacea was first described as a Lactuca species due to its (shortly) rostrate (marginal) achenes. The first attempts to separate it from Lactuca date back to the 1830s (Lessing in 1832 and De Candolle in 1838), but the inclusion of L. intybacea and other closely related species (often known as the L. intybacea group) in Lactuca continued until 1906 when Dalla Torre and Harms (1906) finally excluded the L. intybacea group from Lactuca. However, even though the exclusion of the L. intybacea group from Lactuca is beyond doubt today, in many modern floristic accounts L. intybacea and related species such as L. taraxacifolia are still maintained as Lactuca species (Kilian, 1997; Pruski and Robinson, 2018).

The following is based on the description by Pruski and Robinson (2018). Annual or biennial herbs, 0.3-1(-1.5) m height; stems leafy in proximal 1/3, glabrous or very rarely stipitate-glandular. Leaves (5-)10-20(-28) × 1.5-6(-11) cm, typically runcinate-pinnatilobed, rosulate or cauline, chartaceous, marginal lobes to 3(-4) cm, shallow to deep, triangular, lobe margins irregularly spinulose and serrulate, lobe apices acute to acuminate, blade apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces glabrous; basal and proximal-cauline leaves oblanceolate to ovate, base long-attenuate, winged-petiolariform; distal cauline leaves (when present) sessile, subauriculate. Capitulescence typically paniculate-racemose, leafless, few to several-branched, infrequently somewhat compacted and corymbiform, branches to 30+ cm, ascending, often nearly as long as central axis, capitula few, usually remote, lateral; peduncles 2-5 mm; bracteoles few-several, 1-2 mm, triangular-ovate, moderately imbricate distally. Capitula 12-15 mm; involucre 10-12 × 2.5-4(-5) mm, narrow-urceolate in bud becoming at anthesis narrowly cylindrical; phyllaries 2-12 × 1-2 mm, glabrous or nearly so; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate, scarious margins as broad as central green portion, quickly grading to inner ones, inner phyllaries 8, 2-3 × longer than the outer ones, linear-lanceolate. Ligulate florets 12-24(-35); corolla 11-13 mm, short-exserted from involucre, pale yellow, tube 6-8 mm, limb 5 mm. Cypselae 3-5 (including the narrowed apex) × 0.6-0.7 mm, cylindrical-subfusiform, greyish-green, glabrous, narrowly sulcate, narrowed apex 0.5-1 mm, base only slightly tapered; pappus bristles 6-9 mm, the outer sometimes slightly broad-based.

Outside its native distribution range, L. intybacea was likely to have been introduced by human activities. In the Caribbean region, L. intybacea appears in herbarium collections made as early as 1885 in Puerto Rico, 1888 in St John, and 1898 in Jamaica (US National Herbarium). This species has spread across the Greater and Lesser Antilles and it is now widespread and fully naturalized as a weed and pioneer plant on disturbed sites and open grounds (Kilian, 1997; Liogier, 1997; Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong, 2012).

Soil drainage

• free

Soil reaction

• acid
• alkaline
• neutral

Soil texture

• heavy
• light
• medium

Launaea intybacea spreads by seeds. Seeds may be dispersed by wind and water, stuck to clothing and as a contaminant in soil, machinery and agricultural produce (PROTA, 2018).

As an annual, pioneer species, L. intybacea rarely invades closed vegetation and will not persist as other vegetation develops. It can, however, delay natural successional processes and inhibit the establishment of native plant species in disturbed areas and secondary forests (Mir, 2012; Pruski and Robinson, 2018; GRIIS, 2018; ISSG, 2018). L. intybacea is also a common weed in agricultural areas (Más and Lugo-Torres, 2013).

Launaea intybacea is a troublesome weed principally across the Caribbean region (GRIIS, 2018; ISSG, 2018). Currently it is listed as invasive in the Bahamas, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, but it is spreading across the region and listed as “potentially invasive” on islands such as Jamaica, St Eustatius, Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire (Mir, 2012; Burg et al., 2012; Moultrie, 2013; Oviedo Prieto and Gonzalez-Oliva, 2015). It is reported to be spreading rapidly in disturbed areas on Grand Cayman (ISSG, 2018).

• Proved invasive outside its native range
• Has a broad native range
• Abundant in its native range
• Highly adaptable to different environments
• Is a habitat generalist
• Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
• Pioneering in disturbed areas
• Highly mobile locally
• Benefits from human association (i.e. it is a human commensal)
• Fast growing
• Gregarious

• Modification of successional patterns
• Negatively impacts agriculture
• Reduced native biodiversity
• Threat to/ loss of native species

• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Competition - smothering
• Rapid growth

• Highly likely to be transported internationally accidentally
• Difficult to identify/detect as a commodity contaminant
• Difficult to identify/detect in the field

In various regions across Africa, the leaves of L. intybacea are eaten as a wild salad. Young, large rosette leaves are selected because older leaves and small stem leaves are usually too bitter. The leaves, roots and flowers are used in folk medicine. In Africa, this species also has several ceremonial uses (Kilian, 1997; PROTA, 2018).