) by Otto Wilhelm Thome in Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz'', 1885 '') '' '' There are different concepts of the species within
Lactuca. As of 2026, more than a hundred species are recognized. Species include: •
Lactuca acanthifolia (
Crete,
Turkey) •
Lactuca aculeata (
Asia Minor) •
Lactuca acuminata (
North America) •
Lactuca alaica (
Kyrgyzstan) •
Lactuca alpestris (Crete) •
Lactuca alpina (syn.
Cicerbita alpina) (
Europe) - alpine sow-thistle, alpine blue-sow-thistle, tall blue lettuce •
Lactuca altaica (Eurasia) •
Lactuca anatolica (
Turkey) •
Lactuca attenuata (Africa) •
Lactuca azerbaijanica (
Iran) •
Lactuca biennis (North America) – tall blue lettuce, blue wood lettuce •
Lactuca birjandica (
Iran) •
Lactuca brachyrrhyncha (
Central America) •
Lactuca calophylla (Africa) •
Lactuca canadensis (
North America) – Canada wild lettuce, tall lettuce •
Lactuca chitralensis (
Afghanistan,
Pakistan) •
Lactuca cichorioides (
Angola) •
Lactuca corymbosa (
Congo) •
Lactuca cubanguensis (
Angola) •
Lactuca czerepanovii (
Transcaucasus) •
Lactuca denaensis (
Iran) •
Lactuca × dichotoma (
Balkans) •
Lactuca dissecta (Asia) •
Lactuca dolichophylla (Asia) •
Lactuca dregeana (
South Africa) – melkdissel, slaaidissel •
Lactuca dumicola (
Angola) •
Lactuca erostrata (
Pakistan) •
Lactuca fenzlii (
Turkey) •
Lactuca floridana (North America) – Florida lettuce, woodland lettuce •
Lactuca formosana (
China,
Mongolia,
Taiwan) •
Lactuca georgica (Asia) •
Lactuca gilanica (
Iran) •
Lactuca glandulifera (
Africa) •
Lactuca glareosa (
Turkey) •
Lactuca glaucifolia (Asia) •
Lactuca graciliflora (Asia) •
Lactuca gorganica (
Iran,
Transcaucasus) •
Lactuca gracilipetiolata (
Myanmar) •
Lactuca graminifolia (Americas) – grassleaf lettuce •
Lactuca haimanniana (
Libya) •
Lactuca hazaranensis (
Iran) •
Lactuca hirsuta (North America) – downy lettuce, hairy lettuce •
Lactuca hispida (
Balkans,
Eastern Europe,
Eastern Mediterranean, Asian
Levant,
Transcaucasus) •
Lactuca hispidula (
Turkmenistan) •
Lactuca homblei (
Zaire,
Zambia) •
Lactuca imbricata (Africa) •
Lactuca indica (Asia) - Indian lettuce •
Lactuca inermis (Africa,
Arabian Peninsula) •
Lactuca intricata (Albania, Greece, Turkey) •
Lactuca kanitziana (
Borneo) •
Lactuca kemaliya (
Turkey) •
Lactuca kirpicznikovii (
Transcaucasus) •
Lactuca klossii (
Vietnam) •
Lactuca kochiana (
Turkey,
Transcaucasus) •
Lactuca kossinskyi (
Iran,
Turkmenistan) •
Lactuca laevigata (
Java,
Lesser Sunda Islands,
New Guinea) •
Lactuca lasiorhiza (Africa) •
Lactuca leucoclada (
Afghanistan) •
Lactuca longespicata (
Africa) •
Lactuca longidentata (
Sardinia) •
Lactuca ludoviciana (North America) – biannual lettuce •
Lactuca macrophylla •
Lactuca malaissei Lawalrée (
Democratic Republic of the Congo) •
Lactuca mansuensis Hayata (
Taiwan) •
Lactuca marunguensis (
Democratic Republic of the Congo) •
Lactuca microsperma (
New Guinea) •
Lactuca morssii (
North America) •
Lactuca muralis (
Europe, Northwestern
Africa) •
Lactuca mwinilungensis (Zaire, Zambia) •
Lactuca orientalis (Asia,
Egypt) •
Lactuca oblongifolia (
North America) •
Lactuca orientalis (
Central Asia,
South Asia,
Middle East,
Near East,
Egypt) •
Lactuca oyukludaghensis (
Turkey) •
Lactuca pakistanica (
Pakistan) •
Lactuca palmensis (
Canary Islands) •
Lactuca paradoxa (
Africa) •
Lactuca perennis (Europe) – blue lettuce, mountain lettuce •
Lactuca petrensis (
Angola) •
Lactuca piestocarpa (
Iran) •
Lactuca plumieri (
Europe) •
Lactuca polyclada (
Iran) •
Lactuca praecox (
Africa) •
Lactuca praevia (
Burkina Faso,
Guinea) •
Lactuca pumila (
Afghanistan) •
Lactuca quercina (Eurasia) •
Lactuca raddeana (Asia) •
Lactuca rapunculoides (
Asia) •
Lactuca reviersii (
Morocco) •
Lactuca rostrata (
Java) •
Lactuca rosularis (Iran, Turkmenistan) •
Lactuca sagittarioides (
Asia) •
Lactuca saligna (Eurasia) – willow lettuce, least lettuce, narrow-leaf lettuce •
Lactuca sativa – lettuce, garden lettuce •
Lactuca scarioloides (western Asia) •
Lactuca schulzeana (
Angola,
Cameroon, Zaire) •
Lactuca schweinfurthii (Africa) •
Lactuca serriola (Africa, Asia, Europe) – prickly lettuce, compassplant, scarole, milk thistle •
Lactuca setosa (Africa) •
Lactuca sibirica (Eurasia) •
Lactuca singularis (Spain) •
Lactuca songeensis (
Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Tanzania) •
Lactuca songmaoensis (
Taiwan) •
Lactuca spinidens (Tajikistan, Turkmenistan) •
Lactuca stebbinsii (
Angola) •
Lactuca stipulata (
Rwanda) •
Lactuca takhtadzhianii (Armenia) •
Lactuca tatarica (Northern Hemisphere) – blue lettuce •
Lactuca tenerrima (southern Europe, Morocco) •
Lactuca tetrantha (
Cyprus) •
Lactuca tenerrima (
France,
Spain,
Baleares,
Morocco) •
Lactuca tetrantha •
Lactuca tinctociliata (
Angola) •
Lactuca triangulata (Asia) •
Lactuca tuberosa (Eurasia) •
Lactuca tysonii (
South Africa) •
Lactuca ugandensis (
Africa) •
Lactuca undulata (Asia) •
Lactuca viminea (Africa, Asia, Europe) – pliant lettuce •
Lactuca virosa (Europe, northern Africa) – bitter lettuce, great lettuce •
Lactuca watsoniana (
Azores) •
Lactuca winkleri (Tajikistan) •
Lactuca yemensis (
Yemen) •
Lactuca zambeziaca (
Africa) ==Ecology==