Lactuca indica, the Indian lettuce, is a species of plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. It is native to western China (Xinjiang, Tibet), the Himalayas, and southwest Asia as far west as Turkey. It is widely introduced elsewhere, even as far as east Africa, and is thought to be an archaeophyte in Japan, brought in with rice cultivation.
| Lactuca indica | |
|---|---|
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| A typical flower | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Lactuca |
| Species: | L. indica
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| Binomial name | |
| Lactuca indica | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Lactuca indica is a biennial herb, growing from a taproot to at least 40 cm tall and often reaching 2 m. Its flowers have white to pale yellow ray florets with yellower centers. The narrowness of the leaf blades and the degree of spikiness of leaf lobes varies greatly by region.
It is cultivated (or rather, its growth is encouraged) as fodder for rabbits, pigs, poultry and even fish in Asia.[2][3] Its young leaves can be, and are, consumed as a leaf vegetable in salads like other dandelions.[4] It is used in traditional medicines as an aid to digestion.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Lactuca indica L." The Plant List.
- ^ 王, 和平 (February 1990). "优质高产的青绿饲料作物—苦荬菜". 宁夏农林科技.
- ^ Transhumant Grazing Systems in Temperate Asia. Food and Agriculture Organization. 2003. p. 103. ISBN 9789251049778.
- ^ Kays, S. J. (9 May 2011). Cultivated vegetables of the world: A multilingual onomasticon. ISBN 9789086867202.