# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/2d4de95d-35a9-4884-8c27-5eddb06402c0
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55981
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsana communis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/20407734/medium.jpg (Carl Guyer, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.