Lactuca serriola
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 Lactuca serriola
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| Lactuca serriola |
Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola) is an annual or biennial plant commonly considered as a weed that is common of orchards, roadsides and crops. The closest wild relative of cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), it grows throughout the temperate regions of all major continents. The leaves grow along a spiny stem and get progressively smaller as they reach its top. They emit a milky sap when cut. Many flowers are produced and usually appear in the upper part of the plant.
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[edit] Culinary and Medicinal Usage
The plant can be eaten as a salad, although it has something of a bitter taste. However, its presence in some ancient deposits has been linked more to its soporific properties which might suggest ritual use. The Ancient Greeks also believed its pungent juice to be a remedy against eye ulcers and Pythagoreans called the lettuce eunuch because it caused urination and relaxed sexual desire.
[edit] History
Archaeobotanical evidence in Greek archaeological contexts is scanty, although uncarbonised seeds have been retrieved from a 7th century BC deposit in a sanctuary of Hera on Samos. It is also described by Theophrastus. In mythology, Aphrodite is said to have laid Adonis in a lettuce bed, leading to the vegetable's association with food for the dead.
[edit] Sources
Fragiska, M. (2005). Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity. Environmental Archaeology 10 (1): 73-82
