Lactuca orientalis
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Lactuca orientalis
Lactuca orientalis is a Eurasian species of plant in the dandelion tribe within the sunflower family. It is widespread across the Middle East and southern Asia as far east as Tibet.
Vernacular
Aghut, Sandran, Sandraze
Family
Asteraceae
Description
Lactuca orientalis is a branching subshrub up to 60 cm tall. Leaves are both on the stem and also clustered in a circle around the base. The plant produces one flower head per branch, each head with 4-5 yellow ray flowers but no disc flowers.
Subshrubs (10-)20-60 cm tall, glabrous or subglabrous, spinescent, branched from base.
Stems whitish, rigid, intricately and divaricately branched.
Leaves glaucous green. Basal leaves rosulate, sinuate-dentate to pinnately lobed; lateral lobes 2-4 pairs, triangular, retrorse, apex acute. Stem leaves similar to basal leaves but smaller, less incised, and basally with linear auricles adnately long decurrent on the stem.
Capitulum solitary, terminal and pedunculate or lateral and sessile, with 4(or 5) florets; peduncle (when present) subulate, remaining as a spine after shedding of the capitulum. Involucre narrowly cylindric, 7-10 mm at anthesis, to 1.5 cm in fruit. Phyllaries green to bluish purple; outer phyllaries ovate, abaxially pubescent; inner phyllaries 3(or 4), apex obtuse. Florets pale yellow. Achene 7-8 mm; body brownish, narrowly ellipsoid, 1-1.3 mm wide, with 5-7 ribs on either side; beak concolorous, stout, 2-3 mm. Pappus 7-8 mm, caducous. 2n = 18, 36.
Distribution
A perennial herb common in Northern Balochistan Pakistan. 1400-2400 m.
Mountain slopes and scree, on clay or loamy soil, on lime deposits, on gravel, in dry ravines; below 3800 m. Xinjiang [Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan; SW Asia].
Uses
Courtesy:
Flora of Balochistan – Pakistan
Flora of Pakistan
Wikipedia
