Vegetable
Lactuca sativa
B tier
Lactuca sativa is cultivated lettuce—the species of butterhead, romaine, iceberg, and leaf types. Bitterness, crispness, and bolt resistance depend entirely on cultivar group and growing conditions. Species labelling marks garden lettuce versus wild bitter lettuces. Choose head type by recipe texture needs.
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Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Cooked SpecialtyGrill RomaineRaw SaladWrap
Traits
Cultivated SpeciesHead And Leaf FormsSpecies LevelSpecies UmbrellaVariableVariable Texture
History
EG
Early cultivated lettuces in the Mediterranean and Egypt preceded modern Lactuca sativa forms.
Linnaeus named Lactuca sativa the garden lettuce.
Breeding split L. sativa into distinct head and leaf market classes.
Global salad industries still organise all common lettuces under the species.