Description ⁴

Plants annual, with minute, tuberous bodies; periderm absent. Stems 5-50 cm. Leaves: basal leaves in suberect to erect, seldom flattened rosettes, petiolate, 1-30 cm, blade often with weak red pigmentation, broadly rhombic to deltate or reniform, 1-7 × 0.5-5(-6) cm, apex obtuse to apiculate, mucro 1-3 mm; cauline leaves sessile, blade perfoliate or cleft or notched, 10 cm diam. or less. Inflorescences 1-bracteate; bract leaflike, 0.5-15 mm. Flowers 3-10 mm; sepals 1.5-4 mm; petals pink or white, 2-5 mm; ovules 3. Seeds 2-5 mm, shiny and smooth; elaiosome 1-3 mm. 2n = 12, 24, 36, 48, 60.

Nutritional value ⁵

The nutritional composition of miner's-lettuce has been determined to be
37.1 percent protein, 42.5 percent total carbohydrate, and 12.4 percent
crude fiber.  The calcium:phosphorus ratio is 0.66:1.0 [37].

Other uses and values ⁶

The blossoms, leaves, and stems of miner's-lettuce may be eaten by
humans at any time during the growing season.  They are eaten raw or
cooked, and are a good source of vitamin C [11,37].  Historically,
miner's-lettuce was used as a salad plant and potherb by white settlers
and Native Americans [19].  It was also used to avert or cure scurvy
[37].

Edible ⁷

The leaves of this plant can be eaten raw, boiled or steamed. In terms of taste, the leaves tend to taste a lot like lettuce, especially raw.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) devra, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/21703936@N08/3437249232
2. (c) Lynette Schimming, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/25980517@N03/4522637052/
3. (c) --Tico--, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/tico_bassie/3488355371/
4. (c) Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/4942564
5. Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/23367737
6. Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24237261
7. (c) jihyunan, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Calflora
• CalPhotos
• eFloras.org
• Flora Digital de Portugal
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Jepson eFlora
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
• OregonFlora.org
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

Range Map

(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

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