Lettuce

Lettuce is a temperate annual plant most often grown as a leaf vegetable. In Western countries, it is typically eaten cold and raw, in salads, hamburgers, tacos, and several other dishes. In some places, including China, lettuce is typically eaten cooked, and use of the stem is as important as use of the leaf.

Related Topics:
Annual plant - Leaf vegetable - Salad - Hamburger - Taco - China

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A lettuce plant has a short stem initially (a rosette growth habit), 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.

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Lettuce is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera including Garden Dart, Heart and Club and Autumnal Rustic.

Related Topics:
Larva - Lepidoptera - Garden Dart - Heart and Club - Autumnal Rustic

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