Lactuca sativa angustana
| Lactuca sativa | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Lactuca sativa angustana (common name: celtuce)
Propagation: Seed - sow March to June in situ[1]. Seedlings can be transplanted[1]. Seed becomes dormant at temperatures above 27°c[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a light sandy loam[2]. Succeeds in most well-drained, humus-rich soils but dislikes acid conditions[2][3]. Prefers some shade in the summer to slow down the plants tendency to go to seed and to prevent the leaves becoming bitter[4][5].
Plants can resist some frost, they can also tolerate temperatures in excess of 27°c[1]. They are fairly resistant to bolting, though they can run to seed prematurely in very hot conditions[1].
The celtuce is a form of lettuce with a longer and thicker central stem, it is sometimes cultivated for its edible leaves and stems[1]. There are some named varieties[6]. It takes 3 - 4 months from sowing before the stems are ready to harvest[1].
A surface-rooting plant, the roots can be damaged by hoeing[1].
A good companion for strawberries, carrots, radishes and onions[4][5].
Range: Of garden origin, it is probably derived from L. serriola.
Habitat: Not known in the wild.
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[7][6]. A mild, slightly sweet flavour, they are rather more coarse than ordinary lettuce[1], though they make an acceptable ingredient in mixed salads. Old leaves become coarser and bitter[1].
Stem - raw or cooked. Thick, tender, crisp and juicy, its flavour is variously described as being like lettuce, celery, artichoke, squash, asparagus or chard[7][6]. It is usually peeled before being used[6][1]. The stems can be harvested just before the plants flower without them turning bitter, though they might become hollow at this stage[1].
Medicinal: The whole plant is rich in a milky sap that flows freely from any wounds. This hardens and dries when in contact with the air[8]. The sap contains 'lactucarium', which is used in medicine for its anodyne, antispasmodic, digestive, diuretic, hypnotic, narcotic and sedative properties[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Lactucarium has the effects of a feeble opium, but without its tendency to cause digestive upsets[8], nor is it addictive[16]. It is taken internally in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, neuroses, hyperactivity in children, dry coughs, whooping cough, rheumatic pain etc[15]. Concentrations of lactucarium are low in young plants and most concentrated when the plant comes into flower[15]. It is collected commercially by cutting the heads of the plants and scraping the juice into china vessels several times a day until the plant is exhausted[8]. The cultivated lettuce does not contain as much lactucarium as the wild species, most being produced when the plant is in flower[8]. An infusion of the fresh or dried flowering plant can also be used[9].
The plant should be used with caution, and never without the supervision of a skilled practitioner. Even normal doses can cause drowsiness whilst excess causes restlessness[15] and overdoses can cause death through cardiac paralysis[16][9].
Some physicians believe that any effects of this medicine are caused by the mind of the patient rather than by the medicine[14].
The sap has also been applied externally in the treatment of warts[17].
The seed is anodyne and galactogogue[18].
Lettuce has acquired a folk reputation as an anaphrodisiac, anodyne, carminative, diuretic, emollient, febrifuge, hypoglycaemic, hypnotic, narcotic, parasiticide and sedative[18].
Usage: Parasiticide[19]. No further details are given, but it is probably the sap of flowering plants that is used.
The seed is said to be used to make hair grow on scar tissue[18].
Pollinators: Flies, self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The mature plant is mildly toxic[20].
Also Known As: L. sativa asparagina. (correct name?)
Links
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Larkcom, Joy. Oriental Vegetables. John Murray, 1991.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Simons, Arthur. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin, 1977.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Organ, John. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber, 1960.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Studio Vista, 1979.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.