Asteraceae
Lactuca

Lactuca sativa L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 795 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is a cultigen from W. Asia. It is an annual or biennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as animal food, a poison and a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
lechuga, lechuga arrepollada, lechuga crespa
[UNAL]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual or biennial with a dense basal rosette and erect flowering stems up to 1 m tall, glabrous
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves entire to pinnatifid, shortly petiolate; stem leaves sessile, cordate-amplexicaul
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Capitula numerous in dense paniculate inflorescences
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets pale yellow, often violet-streaked
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 6–8 mm long, body obovate in outline, 5–9-ribbed, beak as long as body.
Distribution
Cultivated at least in N1 and N2 at intermediate altitudes. Probably of East Mediterranean origin, now grown throughout the world.
Vernacular
Lettuce (English).
[FSOM]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Distribution
Cultivated in Colombia.
Ecology
Alt. 2514 - 2890 m.
[UPB]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 2514–2890 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Boyacá, Cundinamarca.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.
Vernacular
Lechuga
[UPFC]

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Vernacular
Lettuce
Note
Is widely cultivated as a leaf vegetable, though I have seen no herbarium specimens from our area.
Morphology General Habit
Lettuce is annual or biennial
Morphology Leaves
Rosette of sessile, amplexicaul leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
The yellow florets are held in few-flowered capitula, in large paniculate inflorescences
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
The involucre is 9–12 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
The pappus 3 mm long.
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 2514 - 2890 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
[CPLC]

Uses

Use
Cultivated as a vegetable
[FSOM]

Use Gene Sources
Crop wild relatives which may possess beneficial traits of value in breeding programmes (State of the World's Plants 2016).
Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders
Medicinal (Instituto Humboldt 2014).
[UPB]

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Poisons
Poisons.
[UPFC]

Common Names

English
Lettuce
Spanish
Lechuga.

Sources

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Living Collection https://www.kew.org/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/