What flower family is lettuce in?

Lettuce is member of the sunflower family. Both are part of the Asteraceae family, one of the most diverse and largest families of flowering plants. Many of the members of this family, including lettuce are grown as food crops. Others are considered ornamental, like asters, daisies and marigolds. This family also includes medicinal flowering plants such as chamomile and plants that produce oils used in cooking, such as the sunflower and safflowers plants.

Lettuce plants can have taproots or fibrous root systems. The leaves of domesticated varieties come in a wide range of colours, from shades of green to deep red and purple; variegated varieties have also been developed. Lettuces are harvested prior to flowering, as the “bolting” of the flower stalk elongates head lettuce, reduces the size of the leaves, and imparts a bitter flavour. The yellow flower heads produce achene fruits with feathery pappus structures for wind dispersal.

For successful cultivation, lettuce requires ample water, especially in warmer weather. During unseasonable weather, protection is furnished and growth stimulated with greenhouses, frames, cloches, or polyethylene covers. In many parts of the world, the cos, leaf, and butterhead types are most popular, though some varieties are difficult to ship and are commonly grown on truck farms or market gardens relatively close to markets. The crisphead varieties, well adapted for long-distance shipment, are popular in the United States.

 

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