Taxon: Lactuca indica L.

Summary

Genus:

Lactuca

Section:

Tuberosae

Family:

Asteraceae (alt. Compositae)

Subfamily:

Cichorioideae

Tribe:

Cichorieae

Subtribe:

Lactucinae

Nomen number:

21341

Place of publication:

Mant. pl. 2:278. 1771

Protologue link:

https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42945386

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

10/30/2007 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

9 (5 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Autonym(s)
Lactuca indica L. var. indica

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Lactuca indica L. var. laciniata (Kuntze) H. Hara
Lactuca jamaicensis Griseb.
Lactuca squarrosa (Thunb.) Miq.
Lactuca squarrosa (Thunb.) Miq. var. laciniata Kuntze
Lactuca squarrosa (Thunb.) Miq. var. squarrosa
Prenanthes squarrosa Thunb.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
Hu, S.-Y. 1970. Compositae of China. 431.
Humbert, J.-H., ed. 1936-. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores.
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
Jiangsu Inst. Bot., ed. v. 1; Shan. R. H., ed. v. 2. 1977-1982. Jiangsu Zhiwuzhi (Flora of Jiangsu).
Jones, K. E. et al. 2018. Northern Hemisphere disjunctions in Lactuca (Cichorieae, Asteraceae): independent Eurasia to North America migrations and allopolyploidization. Willdenowia 48:259-284. DOI: 10.3372/wi.48.48206. Note: this study included an examination of members of the North American clade in the Caribbean; it found Lactuca jamaicensis to be conspecific with L. indica
Kilian, N. et al. Cichorieae Systematics Portal European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy. Note: accessed May 2023
Kitagawa, M. 1979. Neo-lineamenta florae Manshuricae.
Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
Lebeda, A. et al. 2004. Geographical distribution of wild Lactuca species (Asteraceae, Lactuceae). Bot. Rev. (Lancaster) 70:328-356.
Li, H. L. et al., eds. 1975-1979. Flora of Taiwan.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Ross, J. 1972. The flora of Natal.
Sharma, B. D. et al., eds. 1993-. Flora of India.
Shih, C. 1988. Revision of Lactuca L. and two new genera of tribe Lactuceae (Compositae) of the mainland China of Asia (cont.). Acta Phytotax. Sin. 26:425. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (indica) C. Shih
Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 8:184.
Steward, A. N. 1958. Manual of vascular plants of the lower Yangtze valley.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Common names

Language	Name	Alternate name	note	seq	Citation
English	Indian lettuce			1	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	chinesischer Salat			2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Reference
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Anhui Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Gansu Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Guizhou Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hainan Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hebei Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hubei Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Hunan Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Jiangsu Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Jiangxi Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Shaanxi Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Shanxi Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Sichuan Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Xizang Zizhiqu	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Yunnan Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	China	China	Zhejiang Sheng	Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Hokkaidô	Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Honshu	Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Kyushu	Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Ryukyu Islands	Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Eastern Asia	Japan	Shikoku	Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Arunachal Pradesh	Sharma, B. D. et al., eds. 1993-. Flora of India.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	Assam	Sharma, B. D. et al., eds. 1993-. Flora of India.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	India	West Bengal	Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
4	Naturalized	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Madagascar		Humbert, J.-H., ed. 1936-. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores.
4	Naturalized	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Mauritius		Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
4	Naturalized	Africa	Western Indian Ocean	Reunion		Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Indonesia		Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 8:184.
4	Naturalized	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Malaysia		Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 8:184.
4	Naturalized	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica		Jones, K. E. et al. 2018. Northern Hemisphere disjunctions in Lactuca (Cichorieae, Asteraceae): independent Eurasia to North America migrations and allopolyploidization. Willdenowia 48:259-284. DOI: 10.3372/wi.48.48206. Note: this study included an examination of members of the North American clade in the Caribbean; it found Lactuca jamaicensis to be conspecific with L. indica

Native
Asia-Temperate

CHINA: China [Anhui Sheng, Gansu Sheng, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, Guizhou Sheng, Hainan Sheng, Hebei Sheng, Hubei Sheng, Hunan Sheng, Jiangsu Sheng, Jiangxi Sheng, Shaanxi Sheng, Shanxi Sheng, Sichuan Sheng, Xizang Zizhiqu, Yunnan Sheng, Zhejiang Sheng]
EASTERN ASIA: Japan [Hokkaidô, Honshu, Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands, Shikoku]

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India [Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh]

Naturalized
Africa

WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion

Asia-Tropical

MALESIA: Indonesia, Malaysia

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Jamaica

Reference(s)

Bosser, J. M. et al., eds. 1976-. Flores des Mascareignes. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim. Note: = Pterocypsela indica (L.) C. Shih
Humbert, J.-H., ed. 1936-. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores.
Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
Jones, K. E. et al. 2018. Northern Hemisphere disjunctions in Lactuca (Cichorieae, Asteraceae): independent Eurasia to North America migrations and allopolyploidization. Willdenowia 48:259-284. DOI: 10.3372/wi.48.48206. Note: this study included an examination of members of the North American clade in the Caribbean; it found Lactuca jamaicensis to be conspecific with L. indica
Sharma, B. D. et al., eds. 1993-. Flora of India.
Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 8:184.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Human food	vegetable	under lettuce	Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Human food	vegetable	used in salads	Jones, K. E. et al. 2018. Northern Hemisphere disjunctions in Lactuca (Cichorieae, Asteraceae): independent Eurasia to North America migrations and allopolyploidization. Willdenowia 48:259-284. DOI: 10.3372/wi.48.48206. Note: this study included an examination of members of the North American clade in the Caribbean; it found Lactuca jamaicensis to be conspecific with L. indica

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=21341. Accessed 12 May 2026.