The wild origin of our modern lettuce, lactuca serriola, can still be seen all over europe and the more temperate parts of asia. Although the exact origins of the lettuce are unknown it was certainly known to the greeks and romans, and has been grown in britain since at least the middle of the sixteenth century. The book includes history, stories, and lore surrounding the plants, as well as. Lactuca sativa is the botanical name for common garden lettuce. Egyptian wall murals of min, the god of fertility, depict lettuce in cultivation in about 2700 b. This principle has been almost bred out of the cultivated forms of lettuce lactuca sativa, but is still produced when the plant starts to go to seed. Itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. Lettuce was already cultivated by the ancient egyptians, but it is not clear if it was for the production of oil from the seeds, for eating the leaves or as offers for religious purposes.
The species was first described in 1753 by carl linnaeus in the second volume of his species plantarum. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and uptodate information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in. Success in producing a steady supply of fresh, crisp leaves, rich in vitamin a, depends to a great extent upon an understanding of the habits of this plant. Wild lettuce commonly refers to the wildgrowing relatives of common garden lettuce. Xxvii international horticultural congress ihc2006. Lactuca sativa garden lettuce is a popular salad herb. One variety, the woju ts, or asparagus lettuce celtuce, is grown for. The species is hermaphrodite has both male and female organs and is pollinated by flies.
Lactuca sativa lettuce is the most important crop in the group of leafy vegetables. The record derives from tica data supplied on 20120211 which reports it as an accepted name record b4e03b98ee4e40129ec0828429990e8e with original publication details. Lettuce simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Lettuce lactuca sativa is the most important crop in the group of leafy vegetables. Lettuce is one of the most important yearround salad vegetables. Lactuca sativa plant finder missouri botanical garden. Lettuces are made up of over 95 per cent water, but contribute other essential components of our diet such as vitamin a. The name lactuca sativa is derived from the lactis, meaning milk. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. Several other species, however, yield this product. Lettuce is cited in the first millennium bce by herodotus and theophrastus. Books published in the mid18th and early 19th centuries describe several varieties found in gardens today.
It is likely that it originated on the mediterranean rim on rocky wasteland or woodland clearings. It belongs to the family of asteraceae which comprises between 23,000 and 30,000 species and is thought to be the largest family of plants bayer and starr, 1998. Lettuce types include romaine, butter head, iceberg, and loose leaf. Genus name comes from the latin word lac meaning milk in obvious reference to the milky plant sap. The mesopotamians, greeks, persians, romans, egyptians, and chinese considered lettuce a leafy delicacy and grew seeds for oil. Atlee burpee in 1886, this delightful whiteseeded lettuce originated in northern new york state. Click below on a thumbnail map or name for species profiles. Discover lifes page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification and distribution of lactuca sativa garden lettuce discover life. Lactuca sativa crispa is a annualbiennial growing to 0. The name of the plant in english, lettuce, and in latin, lactuca, come from lactis, the latin word for milk, because the juice of the plant looks like milk. Lactuca sativa in the germplasm resources information network grin, u.
In folk medicine of iran, the seeds of this plant were used for relieving of inflammation and osteodynia. The genus includes at least 50 species, distributed worldwide, but mainly in temperate eurasia. Lactuca sativa plantinfo everything and anything about. The reference to milk is due to the bitter white sap contained within the stem and thick veins of the plant 10. A taxonomic species within the family asteraceae garden lettuce. Pollination and life history studies of lettuce lactuca. Lettuce lactuca sativa l overview lettuce lactuca sativa l. Pdf chemical constituents from seeds of lactuca sativa. Ballantine books year 1980 isbn 0449905896 description a nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the. Where does the name lettuce come from lactuca sativa is the botanical name for common garden lettuce. A comparative high performance liquid chromatography hplc study of 11 lactuca species, based on distributional data of 8 sesquiterpene lactones, revealed that 5 species of the subsection lactuca, that is, lactuca dregeana, l. Introduction the lettuce crop is a very important one in california, and the product is shipped in considerable quantity throughout most of the year.
It has been in use in folk medicine since ancient times as both an appetite stimulant and as an aid to sleep. Lactuca sativa garden lettuce lactuca serriola prickly lettuce lactuca tatarica blue lettuce lactuca virosa bitter lettuce legal status. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps. Few salad vegetables exceed lettuce in popularity, and you should have little difficulty in growing it. It forms within the genus lactuca a somewhat isolated genetic compatibility group with three wild species that also have nine pairs of chromosomes, l. They discovered two chemicals responsible for the properties of l. A nice book to read though it is difficult to look. Red leaf lettuce is a sweet and very delicately textured and flavored lettuce.
The origin of lettuce lactuca sativa is in europe and southwest asia. It is now the most important leafy salad vegetable. Lactuca virosa was used in the 19th century by physicians when opium could not be obtained. The plants database includes the following species of lactuca. Part of the biotechnology in agriculture and forestry book series agriculture, volume 6. Red leaf lettuce, health benefits and nutritional value. Lactuca sativa lettuce is a member of compositae family. Columbus brought lettuce and seeds on his voyage to the new world, as did most european explorers in their colonization efforts. In egyptian history there are many battles between the. Appearance of the unexpected triploids in the hybrid progeny between lettuce, lactuca sativa and its wild relatives, l. Department of agriculture agricultural research service. Ryder ej 1980 lettuce breeding in the united states. It was studied extensively by the council of the pharmaceutical society of great britain in 1911. Its bestknown representative is the garden lettuce lactuca sativa, with its many varieties.
The genome size has been estimated by flow cytometry to be 2. The production of lettuce seed is also an important industry. Lactuca sativa, an annual vegetable of the family compositae. Ars germplasm resources information network lasa3 calphotos lasa3 integrated taxonomic information system lasa3. It is in flower from july to august, and the seeds ripen from august to september. Still and others published lettuce find, read and cite all. It is not difficult to grow lettuce successfully provided you keep in mind that all types need wellprepared soil that is rich in organic material, regular. Heirloom lettuce varieties organic gardening mother. Fresh leaves are an excellent source of several vitamin a and beta carotenes as well as a rich source of vitamin k, vitamin c, and folates, while also containing lots of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which are very essential for body metabolism. Lettuce lactuca sativa is an annual plant of the daisy family, asteraceae. Common varieties are romaine, iceberg, and butter lettuce. Pilot study of the efficacy and safety of lettuce seed oil. The name is derived from the latin word lactis, meaning milk, since a milky white sap is found in the stems and thicker veins of lettuce plants. One of the crops suited for this purpose is lactuca sativa l.
A historical survey is made of the distribution of the groups of lactuca cultivars over the world. Tracing the history of many varieties is complicated by the practice of many companies, particularly in the us, of changing. Production of hairy root cultures of lettuce lactuca sativa l. Common lettuce, lactuca sativa, has its origins in the middle east.
Lettuce lactuca sativa is one of the most popular and widely consumed vegetables, today and historically. Welcome to the india biodiversity portal a repository of information designed to harness and disseminate collective intelligence on the biodiversity of the indian subcontinent. Three primary varieties of lettuce are butterhead, cos romaine, and looseleaf. Lettuces are made up of over 95 per cent water, but contribute other essential components of our diet such. Growth, yield and quality response to nitrogen fertilization in a noncirculating hydroponic system, journal of plant nutrition, doi. A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics. Lactuca sativa lettuce, garden lettuce pfaf plant database. Lactuca sativa crispa cutting lettuce pfaf plant database. The history of lettuce plant profiles heirloom gardner. This is the start of a discussion and resource on this topic. While the variety new york is the only one produced for shipping fresh, almost all of the important varieties are grown for seed. Alluring lettuces and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Lactuca sativa article about lactuca sativa by the free.
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