Asteraceae FAMILY

Lactuca raddeana

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

Although no specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, many plants in this genus contain a narcotic principle, this is at its most concentrated when the plant begins to flower. This principle has been almost bred out of the cultivated forms of lettuce but is produced when the plant starts to go to seed[ 13 Title Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Publication Author Triska. Dr. Publisher Hamlyn Year 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3 Description Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore. ].

Botanical Description

Lactuca raddeana is a biennial plant growing from a thickened rootstock. It produces a rosette of leaves and a stem usually 65 - 120cm tall, though it can reach 200cm[ 74 Title Flora of the USSR. Publication Author Komarov. V. L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Israel Program for Scientific Translation Year 1968 ISBN - Description An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeE. Asia - Russian Far East, eastern China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam

HabitatValley meadows among tall grass, shrub thickets, logged areas, deciduous (mainly open) forests, forest margins, very rarely in old fields, moist areas on mountain slopes; at elevations from 300 - 2,300 metres in China[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ].