Lactuca serriola L. is a primary wild relative of lettuce, L. sativa L. (USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program 2010).

European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)

Lactuca serriola is regionally assessed as Least Concern. It is widely distributed throughout Europe and is common and widespread throughout its range. It grows in a range of disturbed anthropogenic habitats, is not known to face any threats and the population is stable to increasing.

According to USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program (2010), L. serriola is native to northern, middle, east, southeastern and southwestern Europe, temperate Asia, northern and northeast tropical Africa, Macaronesia and the Indian Subcontinent, and is widely naturalized in other regions. Greuter et al. (2006–2009) also record the species as native in Macaronesia; however, according to Izquierdo et al. (2004), its origin in the Canary Islands is uncertain and according to Borges et al. (2008) its origin in Madeira is also uncertain.

Knowledge of the national distribution of this species is available for the following European countries:

• Slovakia: common in lowland and hilly regions (Dostál and Červenka1992).
• Cyprus: widely distributed (botanical divisions 2–7) (Meikle 1985).
• Hungary: widespread (Soó 1966, Simon 1992).
• France: widespread; recorded in all departments except Rhône (Association Tela Botanica 2000–2010).
• United Kingdom: widespread throughout the southern half of England with a patchier distribution in Wales (Preston et al. 2002). It has only been recorded at three localities in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland (Preston et al. 2002).
• Netherlands: predominantly occurs in the central and the south part of the country (Mennema et al. 1985). 

This species is common throughout its European range and according to Mennema et al. (1985) is increasing in the Netherlands. The authors reported that it occurred in 80 hour-squares before 1950 and in 382 hour-squares after 1950, while Tamis et al. (2003) note that the species is currently present in 3001–10,000 1x1 km grid squares.

L. serriola is distributed through lowland and montane regions and is most frequently found in sunny exposed areas on fertile soil (Feráková 1977). The species grows in large numbers in disturbed areas such as in towns and cities and can also be found in screes and quarries as a pioneer species (Feráková 1977). It can grow at high altitudes (3,100 m in Afghanistan), but is restricted to low altitudes of 80 m in Britain; however, it is most frequently found at altitudes of 200–600 m in Europe (Lebeda et al. 2004).

In Cyprus, it grows in cultivated and waste ground or on stony mountainsides and summits, from sea level to 6,400 ft (Meikle 1985). In Hungary, it grows in arable land, cereal and stubble fields, vineyards, and in ruderal and weedy communities, typically as part of the Chenopodio Scleranthea community (Soó 1966, Simon 1992). In the United Kingdom, it is most commonly found on roadsides, in waste ground, gravel pits and on sea walls—it can easily and rapidly colonise newly turned soil (Preston et al. 2002). In the Netherlands, it can be found in pioneer vegetation on humid to dry, moderately fertile to very fertile, basic to neutral soils (Tamis et al. 2003).

There are currently no known threats to this species.

L. serriola is a primary wild relative of and a known gene donor to lettuce, L. sativa.

EURISCO reports 1,291 germplasm accessions of L. serriola held in European genebanks, 1,247 of which are reported to be of wild or weedy origin. Of the wild accessions, 709 originate from within Europe (EURISCO Catalogue 2010).