The first thing I wondered... when I saw Tall Blue Lettuce was ... is it edible? And, yes, in fact, the leaves of this plant are edible, but their taste is bitter resembling the tang of dandelion leaves. It is best to eat the leaves when young when they are less bitter. In addition to eating tall blue lettuce, Native Americans found several medicinal uses for this striking-looking plant.
About Tall Blue Lettuce
Lactuca biennis or Tall Blue Lettuce is a biennial herb in the dandelion family. It is native to New England and has spread over much of the United States and Canada. It can grow up to thirteen feet from a taproot. The toothed leaves are deeply lobed and grow all along the light green or reddish-green stem that sometimes has purple streaks with sparse white hair. The stem (and roots) when broken has a milky white juice. The top of the stem has a multi-branched head with many clusters of flowers. The flowers are whitish to light blue ray florets and bloom from July - October. The fruit is mottled containing one seed that has a tawny-brown fluffy pappus attached to it for wind distribution. Tall Blue Lettuce can be found growing in meadows, fields, and at the edges of forests.
The milky white substance found in the stem and the roots of this plant is thought to have a soothing sedative effect. This milky sap is called lactucarium and is medically the strongest when the plant is flowering. The Bella Coola used made a decoction of the root to treat body pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and heart trouble. The Ojibwa made an infusion of this plant to ease lactation. They also used this plant to attract a deer to them for a close shot.
Did You Know...
Historically this plant has been used to ease anxiety, induce sleep, and as a mild hypnotic leading to its nickname, poor man's opium.
The genus Lactuca is applied to the lettuce family and refers to the milky juice of the stem and root.
The name biennis refers to this plant being biennial.
There are five species of wild lettuce in North America, including Canadian, Florida, Louisana, and Prickly lettuce.
I have a huge tall plant close to my house and am harvesting some of the seeds. Thank you for the information and history of this plant.
ReplyDelete