Scientific Name | Valerianella locusta | USDA PLANTS Symbol | VALO |
Common Name | Common Cornsalad, Lamb's Lettuce | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 35392 |
Family | Valerianaceae (Valerian) | SEINet Reference |
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Description | Habitat: Various types of moist soils in meadows, fields, lakeshores, riverbanks, roadsides and in other disturbed sites. Plant: Annual 4 to 16 inches tall with angled, forking, slightly hairy stems. Leaves: Blades are 3/8 to 2-3/4 inches long and 1/8 to 3/4-inch wide (upper are smaller), minutely hairy along margins and sometimes with short-haired surfaces; lower leaves are broadly oblanceolate or spatulate, may be petiolate and form a rosette; upper leaves are opposite, oblong and sessile, with entire margins or a few teeth near base. Inflorescence: Small compact cymes at stem tips 1/8 to 5/8-inch across subtended by spoon-shaped bracts about 2 mm across or less with hairy margins; the flower has a funnel-shaped corolla with 5 lobes that are white or light blue and about 2 mm long or less; sepals may or may not be present; 3 stamens and a 3-lobed stigma. Bloom Period: April to June. Fruit: Dry, yellowish nutlets 2 to 4 mm long. References: E-Flora BC, UW Burke Herbarium, Flora of Alabama, iNaturalist and SEINet. Note: Species is very rarely found in Texas according to authorities, but there have been a few reported on iNaturalist. |
BONAP Distribution Map Map Color Key |
Texas Status: Introduced |
Banner photo of Castilleja indivisa and Lupinus ssp. taken along FM 1323 north of Johnson City, Blanco County
© Tom Lebsack 2024