I did not harvest this plant, but the friends that did were told what they had by a native to these mountains. That person claimed that branch lettuce was becoming rare due to over harvesting. It can be eaten raw in a salad, or cooked in bacon fat.
Beautiful flush on fallen log (2' diameter or so) beside trail -- thick along 15' or so of the log. Accidental finding made a wonderful meal! Sunny day -- sporadic rain several days before, but not terribly heavy. Log well rotted and wet throughout.