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Lactuca

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Lettuce
Lactuca tuberosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Asterales
Family:
Asteraceae
Tribe:
Cichorieae
Genus:
Lactuca

L., 1753
Genera

See text.

Lactuca, commonly known as lettuce, is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae. The genus includes about 100 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 cousins of common garden lettuce. Many species are common weeds. They are annuals or perennials. Their height can vary between 10-180 cm. They form heads or capitula in panicles of yellow, brown or purple flowers in ray florets.

The non-edible species may contain bitter elements. Others contain a milky juice.

Lactuca species are used as food plants by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on lettuces.

Species

Wild Lettuce (Lactuca virosa)
from Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885
Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola)
Lactuca serriola
Lactuca tatarica
Lactuca viminea
Lactuca tuberosa fruits
Lactuca virosa leaves
seedlings of cultivated lettuce L. sativa
fruits of cultivated lettuce L. sativa
L. sativa plant blooming

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Cicerbita alpina - (L.)Waller". Plants for a Future.
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