The lettuce gene pool

Nearly 700 Lactuca species names are included in the International Plant Name Index (IPNI). However, as many of the listed names refer to synonyms and basionyms, the genus Lactuca actually comprises about 100 accepted species. The following wild species are considered to belong to the lettuce (L. sativa) gene pool.

    Species overview

    A species overview of the genus Lactuca is presented in the following spreadsheet. It contains nearly 700 entries along with their name status in each of 5 taxonomic databases. It also presents a shortlist of about 100 more or less accepted Lactuca species names. For this shortlist, some basic species characteristics, their native geographical distribution and their representation in the European Search Catalogue for Plant Genetic Resources (EURISCO) are presented.