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Mycelis muralis

Wall lettuce

Blütenkorb (Gemeinfrei) Wisniowy

Short Description

Wall lettuce can grow up to 1.5 metre in height.

The leaves are deeply lobed and pointed at the end. The tip of the leaf is markedly larger than the side lobes. The leaves are often red tinged.

The stem is erect, highly branched and often tinged red.

At first glance, the flower head can be mistaken for the flower itself. But it is a pseudanthium (“false flower”). It consists of five individual yellow ray florets and can reach a diameter of up to 1 cm.

The seeds are small nut fruits with a ring of white feathery hairs (achenes).

Features

Wall lettuce

Mycelis muralis

  • five ray florets

  • milky sap

Similar species

Nipplewort

Lapsana communis
The flowers have more than five ray florets. The fruits do not have a fringe of hairs.

Rush skeletonweed

Chondrilla juncea
The flower consists of numerous individual yellow ray florets.
Blattrosette (CC BY-SA 4.0) Alice Kracht

In the city

The many walls in the urban environment serve as substitute habitats. They offer wall lettuce good living conditions because of their similarity to damp rock faces in nature. It prefers fresh sites with nutrient-rich soil.

Fun Facts

  • It flowers from July to August.

  • Endangerment level Germany: not endangered

  • Young leaves can be cooked as a vegetable or prepared in salads. However, the plant should be used sparingly because of its slightly bitter taste.

Blatt (CC BY-SA 4.0) Alice Kracht

Sources

Blütenkorb, Wisniowy, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kwiatek_wisnia6522.JPG

Blattrosette, Alice Kracht, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Datei:Mycelis_muralis_(5).JPG

Blatt, Alice Kracht, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Datei:Mycelis_muralis_(1).JPG

Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Fleischhauer, S. G., Guthmann, J. & Spiegelberger, R. (2007) Essbare Wildpflanzen. 200 Arten bestimmen und verwenden, Baden und München: AT Verlag.

Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.

Page „Mauerlattich“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 06.07.2016, 08:28 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mauerlattich&oldid=155908817 (Accessed: 24.11.2016).

Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=3781& (Accessed: 24.11.2016).