Hairless blue-sow-thistle

Lactuca plumieri, the hairless blue-sow-thistle, is a tall perennial herb in the Asteraceae family, reaching 60-150 cm in height. It produces a stout, erect, glabrous stem arising from a thick rhizome. The leaves are large, lyrate-pinnatifid to deeply divided, glaucous, and clasp the stem with auriculate bases; lower leaves can exceed 30 cm in length. The inflorescence is a loose corymbose panicle bearing numerous heads, each composed of blue to violet-blue ligulate florets, an uncommon color in the genus. The involucre is cylindrical with imbricate phyllaries. Achenes are flattened, ribbed, and tipped with a white pappus of soft bristles, dispersed by wind. The plant exudes milky white latex when cut. It is native to montane and subalpine meadows and open woodlands of southern and central Europe, including the Pyrenees, Alps, and Apennines, flowering from July to September.