Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, often ingested for its mild analgesic and sedative effects. It is related to common lettuce (L. sativa), and is often called wild lettuce, bitter lettuce, laitue vireuse, opium lettuce, poisonous lettuce, tall lettuce, great lettuce or rakutu-karyumu-so.
Lactuca virosa is biennial, similar to prickly lettuce Lactuca serriola but taller - it can grow to 200 cm (80 inches or almost 7 feet). It is also stouter, the stem and leaves are more purple ...