Editing Lettuce (section)

=== Cultivars (varieties) ===
{{Anchor|Cultivars}}
[[File:Lactuca sativa 'Forellenschluss', Longwood Gardens 2023 01.jpg|thumb|Romaine lettuce 'Forellenschluss' from [[Austria]]]]
There are several types and [[cultivar]]s of lettuce. Categorization may sometimes refer to "leaf" versus "head", but there are seven main cultivar groups of lettuce, each including many varieties:
# Leaf&mdash;Also known as looseleaf, cutting or bunching lettuce,<ref name="WSU" /> this type has loosely bunched leaves and is the most widely planted. It is used mainly for salads.<ref name="UI">{{cite web|url=http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/lettuce.cfm|title=Lettuce|publisher=University of Illinois Extension|access-date=25 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315133237/http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/lettuce.cfm|archive-date=15 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
#* [[Red leaf lettuce]]&mdash;A group of lettuce types with red leaves.
# [[Romaine lettuce|Romaine]]/Cos&mdash;Used mainly for salads and sandwiches, this type forms long, upright heads.<ref name="UI" /> This is the most often used lettuce in [[Caesar salad]]s.<ref name="CDC">{{cite web|url=http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/lettuce.html|title=Vegetable of the Month: Lettuce|publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|access-date=26 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322151027/http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/lettuce.html|archive-date=22 March 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
#* Little Gem&mdash;a dwarf, compact romaine lettuce, popular in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lactuca sativa 'Little Gem' {{!}} lettuce (Cos) 'Little Gem' Annual Biennial/RHS Gardening |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/112416/i-lactuca-sativa-i-little-gem/details |website=www.rhs.org.uk |access-date=2022-11-14 |language=en-gb}}</ref>
# Iceberg/Crisphead&mdash;The most popular type in the United States. Iceberg lettuce is very heat-sensitive and was originally developed in 1894 for growth in the northern United States by [[Burpee Seeds and Plants]].  It gets its name from the way it was transported in crushed ice, where the heads of lettuce looked like [[iceberg]]s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iceberg lettuce |date=July 3, 2007 |author=Renna |publisher=[[Tribune Publishing]] |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-07-04-0706290893-story.html |access-date=June 22, 2011}}</ref>  Today, it ships well, but is low in flavor and nutritional content, being composed of even more water than other lettuce types.<ref name="UI" />
# Butterhead&mdash;Also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce,<ref name="WSU" /> and traditionally in the [[UK]] as "round lettuce",<ref>{{cite web|title=Lettuce|url=https://realfood.tesco.com/glossary/lettuce.html|website=Tesco Real Food|publisher=[[Tesco]]|access-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118100805/https://realfood.tesco.com/glossary/lettuce.html|archive-date=18 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> this type is a head lettuce with a loose arrangement of leaves, known for its sweet flavor and tender texture.<ref name="UI" />
# Summercrisp&mdash;Also called Batavian or French crisp, this lettuce is midway between the crisphead and leaf types. These lettuces tend to be larger, bolt-resistant and well-flavored.<ref name="WSU">{{cite web|url=http://vegetables.wsu.edu/winterlettuce.html|title=Winter Lettuce|publisher=Washington State University|access-date=26 March 2012|author=Miles, Carol|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411080540/http://vegetables.wsu.edu/WinterLettuce.html|archive-date=11 April 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
# [[Celtuce]]/Stem&mdash;This type is grown for its seedstalk, rather than its leaves, and is used in Asian cooking, primarily Chinese, as well as stewed and creamed dishes.<ref name="UI" />
# Oilseed&mdash;This type is grown for its seeds, which are pressed to extract an oil mainly used for cooking. It has few leaves, bolts quickly and produces seeds around 50 percent larger than other types of lettuce.<ref>Katz and Weaver, p. 375.</ref>

The four main types in the Western world have been looseleaf, romaine, crisphead, and butterhead, with the others being intermediary or more exotic. The butterhead and crisphead types are sometimes known together as "cabbage" lettuce, because their heads are shorter, flatter, and more cabbage-like than romaine lettuces.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rana|first=M. K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QDgPEAAAQBAJ&q=The+butterhead+and+crisphead+types+are+sometimes+known+together+as+%22cabbage%22+lettuce,+because+their+heads+are+shorter,+flatter,+and+more+cabbage-like+than+romaine+lettuces&pg=PA173|title=Vegetable Crop Science|date=2017-10-02|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-351-65279-7|pages=173|language=en|access-date=28 September 2021|archive-date=28 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928054450/https://books.google.com/books?id=QDgPEAAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA173&dq=The+butterhead+and+crisphead+types+are+sometimes+known+together+as+%22cabbage%22+lettuce%2C+because+their+heads+are+shorter%2C+flatter%2C+and+more+cabbage-like+than+romaine+lettuces&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>