nipplewort
Lapsana communis
The plant's common name stems from the 'doctrine of signatures,' as its closed flower buds were thought to resemble nipples and were used to treat skin ailments.
- Scientific name
- Lapsana communis
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Lapsana
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Disturbed ground, woodland margins, gardens, and roadsides.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (autotroph), absorbing nutrients and water from the soil.
- Range
- Europe, Northern Asia, North America, New Zealand
- Size
- 30 to 120 centimeters in height.
- Lifespan
- 1 year (annual) or occasionally a short-lived perennial.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Widespread herbicide use and intensive land development, though it remains highly resilient.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and non-toxic. While edible when young and used in folk medicine, avoid harvesting from roadsides or industrial areas where the plant may have absorbed soil contaminants or been sprayed with herbicides.
Lapsana communis , the common nipplewort , is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower family. It is native to Europe and southwestern Asia. and widely naturalized in other regions including North America.
Photo: Carl Guyer, CC0, via iNaturalist
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