Lactuca

Lactuca
Lactuca tuberosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Cichorioideae
Tribe: Cichorieae
Subtribe: Lactucinae
Genus: Lactuca
L.
Synonyms[1]
  • 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 117 recognized 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.[2] 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.[2]

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[3]

Diversity

There are different concepts of the species within Lactuca. As of 2026, more than a hundred species are recognized.[4]

Species include:[5][4]

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'.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Lactuca L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b Lebeda, Aleš; Dolezalová, Ivana; Feráková, Viera; Astley, Dave (2004). "Geographical Distribution of Wild Lactuca Species (Asteraceae, Lactuceae)". The Botanical Review. 70 (3): 328–356. doi:10.1663/0006-8101(2004)070[0328:GDOWLS]2.0.CO;2.
  3. ^ Cao, Shuai; Sawettalake, Nunchanoke; Shen, Lisha (2025-08-06). "Lactuca super-pangenome provides insights into lettuce genome evolution and domestication". Nature Communications. 16 (1): 7257. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-62641-w. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 12328705.
  4. ^ a b Lactuca. The Plant List. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Missouri Botanical Garden.
  5. ^ GRIN Species Records of Lactuca. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
  6. ^ "Cicerbita alpina". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  7. ^ Lactuca attenuata. Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  8. ^ Bano, R. and M. Qaiser. (2011). A taxonomic revision of the genus Lactuca L. (Cichorieae-Asteraceae) from Pakistan and Kashmir. Pakistan Journal of Botany 43(5) 2259–268.
  9. ^ Lactuca homblei. Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  10. ^ Lactuca imbricata. Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  11. ^ Lactuca lasiorhiza. Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  12. ^ Lactuca mwinilungensis. Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  13. ^ Santos Guerra, A. (2011). "Lactuca palmensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011 e.T172087A6821101. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172087A6821101.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  14. ^ Draper Munt, D. (2011). "Lactuca singularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011 e.T172180A6844238. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172180A6844238.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  15. ^ Kilian, N. (2001). Lactuca stebbinsii (Lactuceae, Compositae), a puzzling new species from Angola.Willdenowia - Annals of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin - Dahlem 31(1) 71–8.
  16. ^ Kyratzis, A.; Christodoulou, C.S.; Kailis, C.; Papasavvas, C.; Tsintides, T. (2011). "Lactuca tetrantha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011 e.T172257A6858989. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T172257A6858989.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  17. ^ Schaefer, H. (2011). "Lactuca watsoniana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011 e.T161995A5525315. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T161995A5525315.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  18. ^ Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN 9780521685535 (paperback). pp 228
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