wild lettuce, Lactuca canadensis

Purple stems are not typical with wild lettuce, but what is? This is an extremely variable plant - almost indescribable. Species descriptions in Flora of North America usually take up half a column or more. Wild lettuce gets twelve lines. They hardly even tried to tell us what it looks like. Others do, but by the time you are done reading all the possibilities, you understand the choice of twelve lines. Purple stems are my favorite variation. Next comes the one I found with blue flowers like little chicories. Chicklets? Wild lettuce started in some part of eastern and central North America, now occurs in every state and province except AK, HI, NT, NU, and SK; it has now spread to Mexico, Central America, and Eurasia. Lenawee Co MI, 7/20/19