Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
lettuce was domesticated; now it is thought that
L. sativa
arose in cultivation and that, in addition to
prickly lettuce, other lettuce species (such as wild lettuce,
L. virosa
, and willowleaf lettuce,
L. saligna
)
were also involved. Lettuce is completely dependent on humans for reproduction and thus will not nat-
uralize. The first breeding goals in the history of lettuce were likely the disappearance of the bristly
thorns along the middle rib of the underside of the leaf and the reduction of the bitter milky fluid lactu-
carium. The delaying of bolting was and still is an important selection criterium, so a head rich in
leaves that does not turn bitter has time to develop.
Lettuce flowers
In Egypt, lettuces have been grown for over 4,000 years for oil (from lettuce seed), as a medicinal,
and as food for humans and animals. Lettuce has been cultivated in Europe since around
AD
800. The
first description of butterhead lettuce was written in 1543 by Leonard Fuchs. Varieties that form a head
presumably come from the combination of spontaneous mutations and selection by central European
gardeners.
ENDIVE
Cichorium endivia
The three forms of endive—cultivated endive (var.
endivia
), curly endive (var.
crispum
), and escarole
(var.
latifolia
)—differ from each other in shape, sowing and harvesting times, and use. Cultivated en-
dive (“summer endive” in German, for that is the season of its use) quickly develops slender leaves but
does not form a head. Curly endives often have finely slotted or curled leaves and can be used like an
autumn lettuce. Escarole, with its smooth-bordered leaves, is a better storage endive.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
• 10 to 15 well-formed and well-overwintered plants
• overwintering strategy
• trellis
