Annual or biennial herbs, stems scapiform. Radical leaves rosulate, oblanceolate, lyrate-pinnatifid; cauline leaves few, minute. Heads small, in lax corymbs. Involucral bracts in 2 unequal series, outer calyculate; inner ones spreading at maturity of achenes. Flowers yellow. Achenes oblong, terete, without a beak, minutely pilose, 10-13 ribbed, costa unequal. Pappus wanting. Basic chromosome number, x = 8
Four species in eastern Asia, two species in Taiwan.
Recent cladistic analyses (Pak & Bremer, 1995) reveal that the genus Lapsana is polyphyletic. The mainly European (but secondarily widespread) Lapsana communis L., the type of the genus, is more closely related to other members of the tribe Lactuceae than to the eastern Asian species that were formerly placed in the genus Lapsana. We follow Pak & Bremer who redefined Lapsana and transferred the eastern Asian species to Lapsanastrum.
Pak, J. H. & K. Bremer. 1995. Phylogeny and reclassification of the genus Lapsana (Asteraceae: Lactuceae). Taxon 44: 13-21.
