Lettuce

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Garden lettuce

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	*Lactuca*
Species:	*sativa*

Binomial name

Lactuca sativa

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa, Asteraceae) is a temperate plant grown for its leaves, which are used in salad, hamburgers, tacos, and several other dishes. It is most frequently eaten cold. There are many varieties, including:

Iceberg (head lettuce)
Red leaf
Green leaf
North Pole
Romaine (also called Cos)
Lamb's
Radicchio
Cobb (also called Boston)

Iceberg lettuce

A lettuce plant has a short stem initially, but when it blooms, the stem lengthens and branches, and it produces many flower heads that look like those of dandelions, but smaller. This is called "bolting". When grown to eat, lettuce is harvested before it bolts.

Some lettuces (especially iceberg) have been specifically bred to remove the bitterness from their leaves. These lettuces are have a high water content with very little nutrient value. The more bitter lettuces and the ones with pigmented leaves contain antioxidants.

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