Lactuca

Lettuce
	Lactuca tuberosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Cichorioideae
Tribe:	Cichorieae
Genus:	Lactuca; L.
Synonyms
	Agathyrsus D. Don; Lactucopsis Schultz Bipontinus ex Visiani; Lagedium Soják; Mulgedium Cassini; Phaenixopus Cassini; Pterocypsela C. Shih; Scariola F. W. Schmidt; Steptorhamphus Bunge.;

Lactuca, commonly known as lettuce, is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. The genus includes at least 50 species, distributed worldwide, but mainly in temperate Eurasia.

Its best-known representative is the garden lettuce (Lactuca sativa), with its many varieties. "Wild lettuce" commonly refers to the wild-growing relatives of common garden lettuce. Many species are common weeds. Lactuca species are diverse and take a wide variety of forms. They are annuals, biennials, perennials, or shrubs.^[2] Their flower heads have yellow, blue, or white ray florets. Some species are bitter-tasting.

Most wild lettuces are xerophytes, adapted to dry habitat types. Some occur in more moist areas, such as the mountains of central Africa.^[2]

Diversity[]

Wild lettuce (Lactuca virosa) by Otto Wilhelm Thome in Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885

Prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola)

Lactuca tenerrima

Lactuca serriola

Lactuca tatarica

There are different concepts of the species within Lactuca. It is not clear how many distinct species are known, and estimates vary from 50^[1] to 75^[3] so far.

Species include:^[1]^[3]^[4]^[5]

(Crete, Turkey)
Lactuca aculeata (Asia Minor)
Lactuca acuminata
(Crete)
Lactuca alpina (syn. Cicerbita alpina)^[6] (Europe) - alpine sow-thistle, alpine blue-sow-thistle, tall blue lettuce
Lactuca altaica (Eurasia)
^[7] (Africa)
(Europe)
(Iran)
Lactuca biennis (North America) – tall blue lettuce, blue wood lettuce
(Africa)
Lactuca canadensis (North America) – Canada wild lettuce, tall lettuce
(Congo)
(Turkestan)
Lactuca cyprica (Cyprus) - Cyprus lettuce
Lactuca dissecta (Asia)
Lactuca dolichophylla (Asia)
(South Africa) – melkdissel, slaaidissel
^[8] (Pakistan)
Lactuca floridana (North America) – Florida lettuce, woodland lettuce
(Asia)
(Asia)
(Asia)
Lactuca graminifolia (Americas) – grassleaf lettuce
Lactuca hirsuta (North America) – downy lettuce, hairy lettuce
^[9] (Zaire, Zambia)
^[10] (Africa)
Lactuca indica (Asia) - Indian lettuce
Lactuca inermis (Africa, Arabian Peninsula)
(Albania, Greece, Turkey)
(Jamaica)
^[11] (Africa)
Lactuca ludoviciana (North America) – biannual lettuce
Lactuca macrophylla
Lactuca muralis
^[12] (Zaire, Zambia)
^[13] (Africa)
Lactuca orientalis (Asia, Egypt)
Lactuca palmensis^[14] (Canary Islands)
Lactuca perennis (Europe) – blue lettuce, mountain lettuce
Lactuca quercina (Eurasia)
Lactuca raddeana (Asia)
(Iran, Turkmenistan)
Lactuca saligna (Eurasia) – willow lettuce, least lettuce, narrow-leaf lettuce
Lactuca sativa – lettuce, garden lettuce
(western Asia)
(Angola, Cameroon, Zaire)
(Africa)
Lactuca serriola (Africa, Asia, Europe) – prickly lettuce, compassplant, scarole, milk thistle
(Africa)
Lactuca sibirica (Eurasia)
^[15] (Spain)
(Tajikistan, Turkmenistan)
^[16] (Angola)
(Armenia)
Lactuca tatarica (Northern Hemisphere) – blue lettuce
Lactuca tenerrima (southern Europe, Morocco)
Lactuca tetrantha^[17] (Cyprus)
(Asia)
Lactuca tuberosa (Eurasia)
(Asia)
Lactuca viminea (Africa, Asia, Europe) – pliant lettuce
Lactuca virosa (Europe, northern Africa) – bitter lettuce, great lettuce
Lactuca watsoniana^[18] (Azores)
(Tajikistan)

Ecology[]

Lactuca species are used as food plants by the larvae of many Lepidoptera species.

Etymology[]

'Lactuca' is derived from Latin and means 'having milky sap'. 'Lactuca' and 'lactic' (of or relating to milk) have the same root word, 'lactis'.^[19]

Footnotes[]

^ ^a ^b ^c Lactuca. Flora of China.
^ ^a ^b Lebeda, Aleš; Dolezalová, Ivana; Feráková, Viera; Astley, Dave (2004). "Geographical Distribution of Wild Lactuca Species (Asteraceae, Lactuceae)". The Botanical Review. 70 (3): 328–356. doi:10.1663/0006-8101(2004)070[0328:GDOWLS]2.0.CO;2.
^ ^a ^b Lactuca. Flora of North America.
^ GRIN Species Records of Lactuca. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
^ Lactuca. The Plant List. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Missouri Botanical Garden.
^ "Cicerbita alpina". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 17 December 2017.
^ Lactuca attenuata. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
^ Bano, R. and M. Qaiser. (2011). A taxonomic revision of the genus Lactuca L. (Cichorieae-Asteraceae) from Pakistan and Kashmir. Pakistan Journal of Botany 43(5) 2259–268.
^ Lactuca homblei. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
^ Lactuca imbricata. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
^ Lactuca lasiorhiza. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
^ Lactuca mwinilungensis. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
^ Lactuca nana. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
^ Santos Guerra, A. (2011). "Lactuca palmensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T172087A6821101. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172087A6821101.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
^ Draper Munt, D. (2011). "Lactuca singularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T172180A6844238. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172180A6844238.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
^ Kilian, N. (2001). Lactuca stebbinsii (Lactuceae, Compositae), a puzzling new species from Angola.^{[permanent dead link]} Willdenowia - Annals of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin - Dahlem 31(1) 71–8.
^ Kyratzis, A.; Christodoulou, C.S.; Kailis, C.; Papasavvas, C.; Tsintides, T. (2011). "Lactuca tetrantha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T172257A6858989. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172257A6858989.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
^ Schaefer, H. (2011). "Lactuca watsoniana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T161995A5525315. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T161995A5525315.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
^ Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN 9780521685535 (paperback). pp 228

External links[]

Jepson Manual Treatment

[china-1] Lactuca. Flora of China.

[leb-2] Lebeda, Aleš; Dolezalová, Ivana; Feráková, Viera; Astley, Dave (2004). "Geographical Distribution of Wild Lactuca Species (Asteraceae, Lactuceae)". The Botanical Review. 70 (3): 328–356. doi:10.1663/0006-8101(2004)070[0328:GDOWLS]2.0.CO;2.

[fna-3] Lactuca. Flora of North America.

[grin-4] GRIN Species Records of Lactuca. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

[pl-5] Lactuca. The Plant List. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Missouri Botanical Garden.

[alpina-6] "Cicerbita alpina". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 17 December 2017.

[attenuata-7] Lactuca attenuata. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

[bano-8] Bano, R. and M. Qaiser. (2011). A taxonomic revision of the genus Lactuca L. (Cichorieae-Asteraceae) from Pakistan and Kashmir. Pakistan Journal of Botany 43(5) 2259–268.

[homblei-9] Lactuca homblei. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

[imbric-10] Lactuca imbricata. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

[lasio-11] Lactuca lasiorhiza. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

[mwini-12] Lactuca mwinilungensis. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

[nana-13] Lactuca nana. Flora Zambesiaca. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

[palm-14] Santos Guerra, A. (2011). "Lactuca palmensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T172087A6821101. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172087A6821101.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.

[sing-15] Draper Munt, D. (2011). "Lactuca singularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T172180A6844238. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172180A6844238.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.

[kilian-16] Kilian, N. (2001). Lactuca stebbinsii (Lactuceae, Compositae), a puzzling new species from Angola.^{[permanent dead link]} Willdenowia - Annals of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin - Dahlem 31(1) 71–8.

[tetra-17] Kyratzis, A.; Christodoulou, C.S.; Kailis, C.; Papasavvas, C.; Tsintides, T. (2011). "Lactuca tetrantha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T172257A6858989. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172257A6858989.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.

[wats-18] Schaefer, H. (2011). "Lactuca watsoniana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T161995A5525315. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T161995A5525315.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.

[gledhill-19] Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN 9780521685535 (paperback). pp 228

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Lettuce

Lactuca tuberosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Cichorioideae
Tribe:	Cichorieae
Genus:	Lactuca L.
Synonyms^[1]
Agathyrsus D. Don Lactucopsis Schultz Bipontinus ex Visiani Lagedium Soják Mulgedium Cassini Phaenixopus Cassini Pterocypsela C. Shih Scariola F. W. Schmidt Steptorhamphus Bunge.