Lactuca macrophylla

Kayıp marul

Perennial herbs. Stem 100–190 cm high, with rhizome, erect, branched in upper part, glabrous or almost glabrous below, covered with dense glandular and eglandular hairs in upper part or rarely synflorescence branches almost glabrous, striate. Leaves covered with glandular and eglandular hairs throughout veins and margins, margin sinuate-ciliate or denticulate-ciliate, apex acute; lower cauline leaves ovate-lanceolate in outline, pinnatifid with generally 2–4 lobes, 12–60 × 11–17 cm, petiole smaller than blade with distinct large rounded auricles and hastate-triangular base; middle cauline leaves ovate-lanceolate, 10–23 × 4.5–10 cm; sessile with rounded auricles. Synflorescence corymbiform with more than 50 heads. Capitula with 24–28 flowers, cylindrical, fruiting 12.8–14.5 × 6.5–9.2 mm; peduncle 1.7–3.5 cm long. Phyllaries 16–18, in 3 series, margin very narrowly whitish hyaline; outer phyllaries 3.4–6.3 × 0.7–1 mm, lanceolate, with glandular hairs at dorsal side; inner phyllaries 10– 12.5 × 1.7–1.8 mm, lanceolate, acute with glandular hairs at dorsal side. Flowers violet to light blue, corolla tube 3.5–4.5 mm long, hairy in upper part; ligule 13.8–17.5 × 1.2–1.8 mm; anther tube yellowish, 4.1–4.8 mm long; fertile part 3.2–3.9 mm long, apical appendages 0.3–0.4 mm long, basal appendages 0.4–0.5 mm long. Style 9.8– 10.5 mm long; branches c. 1 mm long. Achenes ellipsoid in outline, compressed, and slightly falcate, c. 5 × 1.5 mm, muricate , brownish, generally with 1–2 main ribs on each side, narrowly winged, base truncate, with completely annular carpopodium, corpus more or less attenuate at apex. Pappus double, white, inner 6.1–7.2 mm long of scabridulous bristles, most of them at their base 4–7 cells in diameter, deciduous, outer a very short series of hairs, persistent.

Phenology: Flowering in July–August, fruiting in August–September.

Habitat: Subalpine meadows, opening of Picea orientalis forest.

General distribution: The taxon has a disjunct natural distribution in the Caucasus region and the southern Ural mountain range.