Lactuca sativa
Tracheophyta
›Magnoliopsida›Asteraceae›Lactuca›Lactuca sativa
Ecology
An annual or biennial herb long cultivated as a salad plant, and frequently escaping onto waste ground or persisting on abandoned arable land; also a bird-seed alien occurring casually on tips. Lowland.
Status
Casual
Trends
L. sativa has been cultivated in Britain since at least 1200 (Harvey, 1981), although it was not recorded in the wild until 1975 (Middlesex). There are many cultivated varieties, including var. capitata (cabbage lettuce) and var. crispa (cos lettuce). It is probably under-recorded.
World Distribution
L. sativa was derived in cultivation from wild relatives, the closest of which is L. serriola. The first evidence for its cultivation comes from Ancient Egypt.
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JNCC Designations
NBNSYS0000004538