Lactuca

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Genus of lettuces

title: "Lactuca" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lactuca", "asteraceae-genera"] description: "Genus of lettuces" topic_path: "general/lactuca" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactuca" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of lettuces ::

|image = Lactuca tuberosa 2.jpg |image_caption = Lactuca tuberosa |display_parents = 3 |taxon = Lactuca |authority = L. |synonyms_ref = |synonyms =

  • Agathyrsus D. Don
  • Bunioseris Jord.
  • Cephalorrhynchus Boiss.
  • Cyanoseris (W.D.J.Koch) Schur
  • Lactucella Nazarova
  • Lactucopsis Schultz Bipontinus ex Visiani
  • Lagedium Soják
  • Mulgedium Cassini
  • Mycelis Cass.
  • Phaenixopus Cassini
  • Phoenicopus Spach
  • Pterocypsela C. Shih
  • Scariola F. W. Schmidt
  • Wiestia Sch.Bip.

Lactuca, commonly known as lettuce, is a genus of flowering plants in the 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. 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.

Research revealed substantial genome size variation within the genus, ranging from 2.1 Gb in L. saligna to 5.5 Gb in L. indica. This expansion is primarily driven by the proliferation of repetitive elements and is associated with low DNA methylation levels (specifically CHH methylation) and reduced expression of the CMT2 gene

Diversity

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Illustration_Lactuca_virosa0.jpg" caption="Wild lettuce (''[[Lactuca virosa]]'') by [[Otto Wilhelm Thome]] in ''Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz'', 1885"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Lactucaserriola2web.jpg" caption="Prickly lettuce (''[[Lactuca serriola]]'')"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Lactuca_tenerrima.jpg" caption="''[[Lactuca tenerrima]]''"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Lactuca_serriola_flowers_RJP_01.jpg" caption="''Lactuca serriola''"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Lactuca_tatarica.jpeg" caption="''[[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 to 75 so far.

Species include:

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'.

References

References

  1. "''Lactuca'' L.".
  2. (2004). "Geographical Distribution of Wild Lactuca Species (Asteraceae, Lactuceae)". The Botanical Review.
  3. Cao, Shuai. (2025-08-06). "Lactuca super-pangenome provides insights into lettuce genome evolution and domestication". Nature Communications.
  4. [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=117438 ''Lactuca''.] Flora of China.
  5. [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=117438 ''Lactuca''.] Flora of North America.
  6. [https://archive.today/20130708062241/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?6451 GRIN Species Records of ''Lactuca''.] Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
  7. [http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Compositae/Lactuca/ ''Lactuca''.] The Plant List. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Missouri Botanical Garden.
  8. {{GRIN. ''Cicerbita alpina''. 104152
  9. [http://apps.kew.org/efloras/namedetail.do?flora=fz&taxon=4998&nameid=12070 ''Lactuca attenuata''.] ''Flora Zambesiaca''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  10. Bano, R. and M. Qaiser. (2011). [http://www.pakbs.org/pjbot/PDFs/43%285%29/PJB43%285%292259.pdf A taxonomic revision of the genus ''Lactuca'' L. (Cichorieae-Asteraceae) from Pakistan and Kashmir.] ''Pakistan Journal of Botany'' 43(5) 2259–268.
  11. [http://apps.kew.org/efloras/namedetail.do?qry=namelist&flora=fz&taxon=4989&nameid=12046 ''Lactuca homblei''.] ''Flora Zambesiaca''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  12. [http://apps.kew.org/efloras/namedetail.do?flora=fz&taxon=4991&nameid=12048 ''Lactuca imbricata''.] ''Flora Zambesiaca''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  13. [http://apps.kew.org/efloras/namedetail.do?flora=fz&taxon=4982&nameid=12033 ''Lactuca lasiorhiza''.] ''Flora Zambesiaca''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  14. [http://apps.kew.org/efloras/namedetail.do?flora=fz&taxon=4984&nameid=12039 ''Lactuca mwinilungensis''.] ''Flora Zambesiaca''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  15. [http://apps.kew.org/efloras/namedetail.do?flora=fz&taxon=5010&nameid=12112 ''Lactuca nana''.] ''Flora Zambesiaca''. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  16. Santos Guerra, A.. (2011). "''Lactuca palmensis''".
  17. Draper Munt, D.. (2011). "''Lactuca singularis''".
  18. Kilian, N. (2001). [http://www.bgbm.org/willdenowia/w-pdf/w31-1Kilian.pdf ''Lactuca stebbinsii'' (Lactuceae, Compositae), a puzzling new species from Angola.]{{dead link. (December 2017)
  19. Kyratzis, A.. (2011). "''Lactuca tetrantha''".
  20. Schaefer, H.. (2011). "''Lactuca watsoniana''".
  21. Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN. 9780521866453 (hardback), {{ISBN. 9780521685535 (paperback). pp 228

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lactucaasteraceae-genera