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African Lettuce

Lactuca inermis

Also called Wild Lettuce

African Lettuce
Photo: SAplants, CC BY-SA 4.0
Family
Asteraceae (Daisy family)
Native range
Trop. & S. Africa, Madagascar, Arabian Pen.
Climate
seasonally dry tropical

About

Lactuca inermis is a species of wild lettuce native to sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian peninsula. A pioneer species often found in disturbed areas, it is of variable height, from very short (5 cm) to quite tall (240 cm) and woody. Local people consume its young leaves, perhaps with a light boiling, as a salad green or vegetable.

Other Lactuca plants

Cicerbita macrophylla · Lactuca aculeata · Lactuca alpestris · Tall blue lettuce · Canada lettuce · Lactuca dissecta · Lactuca dolichophylla · Woodland lettuce · Grassleaf lettuce · Hairy lettuce · Indian lettuce · Biannual lettuce

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lactuca inermis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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