Types Of Lettuce Plants

types of lettuce plants

Lettuce plants are very popular green leafy vegetables and there are quite a few people who cannot exclude lettuce from their dining table. There are a lot of different types of lettuce plants available.

ARUGULA

Arugulas are the types of lettuce plants that have dark green, long spiked leaves and they have a pepper flavor. Wild harvested and cultivated arugulas are available in the market and the difference lies in the pungency. Wild harvested arugulas tend to be more pungent than cultivated arugulas. The flavor of these different types of lettuce plants become strong with bigger leaves and the pungency can be determined only by tasting the leaves.

BUTTER OR BOSTON LETTUCE

These are the types of lettuce plants that are very commonly available. Butter lettuce is famous for its compact crisp-head. The tender texture of butter lettuce makes it more desirable for preparation of salads. Pale green and red-tinged varieties of butter lettuce have better flavor and taste.

LITTLE GEMS

Little gems are the types of lettuce plants that are soft and crunchy. Little gems have a delicate flavor and suggested for the preparation of vinaigrettes. These are also used with sliced radish, steamed asparagus and spears.

MESCLUN

Mesclun is the term used to refer to the types of lettuce plants that are a mixture of many varieties of wild lettuces. However, the mesclun lettuces that are sold these days in the market are cultivated mescluns and are cultivated by growing different lettuce plants in a common bed. Mescluns with tender and young leaves have good flavor and you can check for the sweetness of the tender leaves while selecting mescluns.

MIZUNA

The Asian varieties of mustard greens are called as mizuna and these types of lettuce plants have dark green leaves that are spiky. Mizuna lettuces are popular for their delicate texture and have a spicy and peppery flavor.

LAMB’S LETTUCE

These are the types of lettuce plants that have beautiful rosettes of thick green leaves that can be seen as a group of four or five attached to the root. Lamb lettuces are also called as mache lettuces. Lamb lettuces have a slightly bigger body compared to other lettuce plants and blends very well with other vegetables.

OAK LEAF LETTUCE

Oak leaf lettuces have leaves that are attached to the base and stay loose and are hence called as loose-leaf lettuces. Oak leaf lettuces are found in varieties of green, bronze and red. Oak leaf lettuces are mainly preferred with salads and damaged leaves cannot be used since they will spoil the flavor.

PURSLANE

Purslanes are the types of lettuce plants that grow wild and can be seen anywhere. People can find it even in places like parks, meadows and all. The easy growing nature of purslanes has made it very common and they are the most easy to get lettuces available. Purslanes have thick and spongy leaves and are best suited along with delicate dressings such as herb-laced dressings or lemon parsley dressings.