lettuce, annual garden plant (Lactuca sativa and varieties) of the family Asteraceae (aster aster [Gr.,=star], common name for the Asteraceae (Compositae), the aster family, in North America, name for plants of the genus Aster, sometimes called wild asters, and for a related plant more correctly called China aster (Callistephus chinensis
..... Click the link for more information. family), probably native to the East Indies or Asia Minor, possibly as a derivative of the widespread weed called wild lettuce (L. scariola). L. sativa has been grown as a salad plant since antiquity and is unknown in the wild. Three types of lettuce are planted: head, or cabbage, lettuce; the leaf, or loose, type; and Cos lettuce, or romaine. The first forms a tight, crisp, white head; the second has many more leaves and a less compact head, which is white toward its center only. Cos lettuce, or romaine, forms long, upright leaves, which, according to variety, may or may not have to be tied up to blanch and form a head. It is not as commonly planted, but is useful where summers are too hot for the other two varieties. As lettuce has increased in popularity in the United States, forcing it for winter use is becoming an extensive industry, especially near large cities. Much of the winter crop comes from Florida and California. The plant is generally eaten as a salad but may be cooked, as it often is in France. A narcotic from the thickened juice of some Lactuca species has been used as an opium substitute. Among the many north temperate species is L. canadensis, the American wild lettuce. Lettuce is classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta (măg'nōlēŏf`ətə)
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.
Cultivated annual salad plant (Lactuca sativa) that produces clusters of crisp, water-filled leaves. The best-known varieties are head, or cabbage, lettuce (variety capitata); leaf, or curled, lettuce (variety crispa); cos, or romaine, lettuce (variety longifolia); and asparagus lettuce (variety asparagina). Head lettuce is further divided into butter heads and crisp heads (e.g., iceberg lettuce). In the U.S, large-scale farms grow mainly crisp-head varieties, shipping them nationwide. Small-scale, local farmers raise leaf and butter-head varieties. Lettuce is an early annual crop that grows best in cool weather and with ample water. Though usually consumed in salads, it may also be cooked.
lettuce
lettuce [′led·əs]
..... Click the link for more information. family), probably native to the East Indies or Asia Minor, possibly as a derivative of the widespread weed called wild lettuce (L. scariola). L. sativa has been grown as a salad plant since antiquity and is unknown in the wild. Three types of lettuce are planted: head, or cabbage, lettuce; the leaf, or loose, type; and Cos lettuce, or romaine. The first forms a tight, crisp, white head; the second has many more leaves and a less compact head, which is white toward its center only. Cos lettuce, or romaine, forms long, upright leaves, which, according to variety, may or may not have to be tied up to blanch and form a head. It is not as commonly planted, but is useful where summers are too hot for the other two varieties. As lettuce has increased in popularity in the United States, forcing it for winter use is becoming an extensive industry, especially near large cities. Much of the winter crop comes from Florida and California. The plant is generally eaten as a salad but may be cooked, as it often is in France. A narcotic from the thickened juice of some Lactuca species has been used as an opium substitute. Among the many north temperate species is L. canadensis, the American wild lettuce. Lettuce is classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta (măg'nōlēŏf`ətə)
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.
lettuce
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Lettuce (Lactuca sativa, variety capitata)
(credit: Derek Fell)
lettuce
1. any of various plants of the genus Lactuca, esp L. sativa, which is cultivated in many varieties for its large edible leaves: family Asteraceae (composites)
2. the leaves of any of these varieties, which are eaten in salads
3. any of various plants that resemble true lettuce, such as lamb's lettuce and sea lettuce
lettuce [′led·əs]
(botany)
Lactuca sativa.An annual plant of the order Asterales cultivated for its succulent leaves; common varieties are head lettuce, leaf or curled lettuce, romaine lettuce, and iceberg lettuce.
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