Plants herbs or subshrubs; latex white. Leaves alternate. Inflorescences usually panicles, sometimes narrow panicles, of capitula; involucres cylindrical; receptacles without bracts. Achenes flattened, distinctly beaked, usually with ribs; pappuses of smooth or scabrous bristles.
Lactuca includes about 112 species. They are native in most parts of the world, with the exception of Australia and South America. One species, Lactucasativa, is cultivated as a vegetable in Somaliland and possibly in Somalia. There are many cultivars.
Note: GBIF records include introduced and cultivated plants. Consequently, the distribution shown often differs from statements about a taxon's native distribution.