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Lactuca ludoviciana
| Common name: |
Western Wild Lettuce |
Family: |
Compositae |
| Author: |
(Nutt.)Riddell. |
Botanical references: |
43, 235 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known 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]. |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Manitoba to Wisconsin and southwards. |
| Habitat: |
Prairies, low ground and roadsides[43]. Usually found in calcareous soils[274]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| L. campestris[B,P]
L. campestris var. typica[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Biannual Lettuce [P], Louisiana Lettuce [B], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
|
Physical Characteristics
Biennial growing to 1.2m. . The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Leaves.
Young leaves - raw or cooked[85, 257].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Although we have seen no specific reports for this species, most if not
all members of the genus have a milky sap that contains the substance
'lactucarium' and can probably be used as the report below details[K].
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[4]. The sap contains
'lactucarium', which is used in medicine for its anodyne, antispasmodic,
digestive, diuretic, hypnotic, narcotic and sedative properties[9, 21, 46,
165, 192, 213, 238]. Lactucarium has the effects of a feeble opium, but
without its tendency to cause digestive upsets[4], nor is it addictive[7]. It
is taken internally in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, neuroses,
hyperactivity in children, dry coughs, whooping cough, rheumatic pain
etc[238]. Concentrations of lactucarium are low in young plants and most
concentrated when the plant comes into flower[238]. 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[4]. 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[238] and overdoses can cause death through cardiac
paralysis[7, 9].
Some physicians believe that any effects of this medicine are caused by the
mind of the patient rather than by the medicine[213].
The sap has also been applied externally in the treatment of warts[222].
Other Uses
None known
Cultivation details
We have very little information on this species and do not know how
hardy it will be in Britain, though judging by its native range, it should
succeed outdoors in most parts of this country.
Prefers a light sandy loam[1].
Hybridizes in the wild with L. canadensis and the two species can sometimes
be difficult to separate[274].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination is
usually fairly quick.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[192] Emboden. W. Narcotic Plants Studio Vista 1979 ISBN 0-289-70864-8
A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
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Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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