Lettuce, Wild (Wild Lettuce) (Lactuca virosa) seeds, organic

(9 customer reviews)

$3.95$18.00

Family:  Aster (Asteracea)

Hardy to Zones 5 to 9, readily grown as a spring-planted annual

(Lettuce Opium, Wild Lettuce, Bitter Lettuce)  Overwintering annual or biennial.  Native to Central and Southern Europe.  Young plants of giant wild lettuce are a good ingredient for heroic salads.  I eat the leaves freely in the winter to early spring.  This is the most cold hardy of all lettuces, in the right circumstances producing very reasonable salads midwinter, which is before the plant goes tough and bitter.  Lactuca virosa is a preferred wild species from Europe–highest latex content, nutrient dense, good winter salad, bright purple-black seeds, much less spiny than the weedy types (e.g Lactuca serriola), which we do not carry.  Traditional usage (TWM): Sedative, pain-relieving, antispasmodic, digestive bitter, euphoric used to treat insomnia, restlessness, bodily pain, painful menses, digestive woes.  Source of lactucarium, the white latex that contains alkaloids (Lactucin) and sesquiterpene lactones.  Sow in spring or fall, in pots outdoors or directly in beds outdoors.  Barely cover seed with soil and tamp securely, then keep cool and evenly moist until germination, which takes 10 to 20 days.  In very cold soil conditions (freezing and thawing), germination will take longer.  Seeds planted outdoors on 2_11_22, rampant germination on 3_18_2022, in concert with full moon, 37 day induction period. Meanwhile very warm soil temperatures will retard or disallow germination. Indoor growers will often be disappointed–the wild plant needs cool temperatures to germinate.  Transplant or thin to 6 inches apart.  Flowers yellow to 6 feet.

Packet contains ~20 seeds
1 g contains ~1,200 seeds

Certified Organically Grown

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5 out of 5 stars

9 reviews

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What others are saying

  1. Sage

    Opium Lettuce

    Sage

    I have used this. It’s very effective in a tincture.

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  2. Question

    Mike Wuellner

    Hi there! I was wondering if a zone 4 would have a reasonable chance of success with wild lettuce. NE Ohio. Thanks! – Mike

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  3. Question

    Christen Largent

    What is the best time to harvest this plant to make medicine. There are so many differing opinions and I trust your take on things. Before flowering? While flowering? Very end of the season?

    Thanks as always!!

    Christen

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi christen,
      thanks for writing. Much of the lactucarium resides in the stem material as the plant goes up to flower.
      you sever the main stem at that point, on a hot day, and collect the lactucarium. This is the traditional method. Many you-tubers have invented other techniques that may be ignored. Here’s a link for you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mtVNtV1dVk&t=33s
      richo

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  4. Andrew Grossberg

    High Germination Rate

    Andrew Grossberg (verified owner)

    I planted these last year in zone 7a and I think they all sprouted. I had to thin some out. Despite a harsh winter they’re still going!

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi andrew, good going! my current reality with wild lettuce is that i sowed a stretch of it for seed production back in January and its very green at the moment.
      Richo

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  5. Question

    Brenda Schlupp

    Hi! Two questions…
    I live in Southern Ontario in zine 4b, Can I grow this? Can I grow it indoors?

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  6. Question

    Marcia Staples

    Are these seeds non-gmo? Are these seeds an heirloom variety?

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  7. Question

    Lisa Avery

    Hi! Because this is essentially a “weed” type plant, I am considering planting it on the outside of our fenced in landscaped area- however, can you tell me if this is one that the deer and rabbits love or leave??

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  8. Question

    George

    Hello, will this grow in MN. zone 3?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hello george. thanks for contacting. in a z 3 this grows as a spring annual. in z 5 and up it can overwinter as a rosette. r

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  9. lauriannmikell

    lauriannmikell (verified owner)

    Excellent

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    • aloysious

      Will this grow in the rainforest near Mountain View, Hawaii?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi there, not really, you’re an 11a at the coldest and wild lettuce is a winter grower. richo

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    • Cindy sudberry

      Can you plant in a pot?
      Where are the seeds on the plant?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Cindy,
      Wild lettuce will grow almost anywhere. I just noticed a huge one growing out of a rock pile that surrounds one of my agricultural water risers along the driveway. Sure, it can grow in a pot. The plant goes up into flower and the flowers are at the end of the stems. The flowers mature and give way to puffs of fuzzy pappus that turn into numerous one-seeded parachutes. Richo

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Cindy,
      Wild lettuce will grow almost anywhere. I just noticed a huge one growing out of a rock pile that surrounds one of my agricultural water risers along the driveway. Sure, it can grow in a pot. The plant goes up into flower and the flowers are at the end of the stems. The flowers mature and give way to puffs of fuzzy pappus that turn into numerous one-seeded parachutes. Richo

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  10. Question

    Todd

    Will this grow in zone 4B?

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  11. Angela Karing

    ?% germination

    Angela Karing (verified owner)

    Hi Richo, I started my seeds mid Feb, moved them outside after germination (just 6 days later!) And have had them on the back deck since, they seem to small to transplant and I was wondering how big should they be? My last frost date is may 19th or so. Thank you very much, blessings to y’all and your garden, Angela

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  12. Question

    Susie

    Hello, I received my wild lettuce plants today 🙂 and they look amazing ! My question is do I need to harden them off like I would new seedling or should I plant them in permanent location. I am in 5a to b . Thank You for Your time .

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  13. Question

    Frito (verified owner)

    How long does this seed typically need for cold stratification? We tried 6 weeks and another batch at 4 weeks. Planted in February in zone 8b and another batch in March. None sprouted yet. We’ve sprouted lavender in our refrigerator before – has anyone successfully done this with Lactuca Virosa?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hello Frito,
      I’ve never germinated the wild lettuce in the fridge. I just plant it in the garden or in a deep flat in the shadehouse. Soil temperature should be around 65 degrees for best results, never as much as 80 degrees, which does indeed retard germination. If you’ve stratified the seeds, they should germinate readily once sown in cool, moist conditions. Max 4 weeks, usually quicker, I’ve tested and retested our seeds due to several complaints and every time find them to be reliable. You could get plants online if the seeds really don’t work for you. Here are the directions given:
      Sow in spring or fall, in pots outdoors or directly in beds outdoors. Barely cover seed with soil and tamp securely, then keep cool and evenly moist until germination, which takes 10 to 20 days. Very warm soil temperatures retard or disallow germination. Indoor growers will often be disappointed–the wild plant needs cool temperatures to germinate.
      Richo

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    • Frito (verified owner)

      Thank you. Our soil was just too warm. We will try again in fall or opt for live plants.

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    • gkinsc (verified owner)

      We just planted another batch outdoors about a week ago. They are outside in cool temps, sown in 6-pack cells and they are being kept evenly moist. Hopefully, this time they will sprout.

      I understand this variety thrives in poorer soils. We were going to plant one more batch of seeds in a week. We could use a sand/soil mix or even plain sand if there’s a chance that might offer better results.

      [No luck with the Wild Hawthorn yet although it hasn’t been a full years since planting so there’s still hope. The Arnica Montana and Meadowsweet did fine. The Aleppo Peppers were phenomenal! A new favorite.]

      With just a few lactuca virosa seeds left, any tips on medium are appreciated.

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi, thanks for the great report. I too recently planted wild lettuce, direct-seeding a long bed in the field, mid-february. Mine hasn’t germinated yet, either, and i know to have patience with it, because it can take weeks, depending on the coldness of the soil and moisture content and frost. Sandy soils work fine although I do think they need enough substance to hold enough water to germinate the seeds. I generally just use standard fast-draining potting soil. r

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  14. Question

    Holly

    Does the wild lettuce seed require cold stratification?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hello Holly,
      It is helpful in order to attain best germination rate. Even planting in a cool greenhouse would be fine. I planted a flat outdoors in the fall and just noticed the seeds coming up last week when the weather improved into the 50’s. Its a wild seed–if you plant it in outdoor conditions it will know its in the wild and germinate. If you plant it in a hot greenhouse it probably won’t germinate. It takes usually a couple of weeks in the right conditions. Richo

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    • Pamela

      I live in AZ, zone 9. Its in the 90’s here. When should I plant my seeds?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Pamela,
      In November, when things cool down a bit. Wild lettuce (and domesticated lettuce, too) doesn’t germinate very well in hot soils.
      Richo

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  15. Question

    Sandra Bozarth

    Are the seeds usable for two years?

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  16. One person found this helpful

    Question

    Tammy

    we live in Canada and are in zone 3 is there variety of wild lettuce that would survive in zone 3?

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Tammy, the wild lettuce we’re offering here does grow well in cold conditions. I would suggest planting it in the early spring. Richo

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    • PATRICIA M FRALIX

      I live in north Florida, about 1 mile from the coastline, zone 8b or 9. Would this plant doe well as a winter crop and would it reseed itself?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Patricia, Yes to both questions, the wild lettuce is widely adaptable and self-seeding. r

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    • Marius de Waal

      Hi
      Do you guys ship to South Africa? I want to buy Wild Lettuce and Dandelion. I live on the Westcoast about 3 miles from the sea. We have sandy soil. Will they grow here?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hell Marius, Sounds like a lovely location. We can no longer ship successfully to South Africa. Customs is tossing the seeds upon arrival. Richo

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  17. Stella

    Buy

    Stella (verified owner)

    Great business to buy from

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  18. Question

    Robert

    I have heirloom and other strains of lettuce self seeding throughout the edible landscape.

    If I introduced this, how likely would it be to hybridize with the edible lettuce?

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Robert,
      Isolation distance for lettuce seed saving is only 6 to 12 feet (Nafazio), whatever distance is required to avoid physical mixing during harvest. Besides, I have wild lettuce growing near to my Lactuca sativa and have never seen hybridization so I think you’re safe.
      Richo

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  19. One person found this helpful
    Jan

    Stratifying SEEMS Complicated...But its ONE AND DONE!!!

    Jan (verified owner)

    I put 2 packets of seeds in the fridge between damp…paper towels. For a few weeks supposedly …but it might have been the summer…because they got pushed to the back of the fridge.and forgot about. I Really wet the Paper towels and let them sit for a few hours because it looked like the baby roots were sticking. Planted them…GORGEOUS!!!

    The pix on the right was from inside my greenhouse…in which they seem to prefer…left was on the covered porch.

    I buy a ton from Strictlymedicinal and I trust them with all of my Seed Needs!!!

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  20. Sally

    Grows just fine here in North Texas

    Sally (verified owner)

    I planted this here last year and the ones i planted in the shade have stuck around and are really looking good in January. I didn’t know these would do so well here in the winter, when will they start making flowers? I use wild lettuce for mild pain relief. I usually make a tincture or just eat the dried plant. Sometimes add leaves to my salad. Thank you!

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    • Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      Hi Sally,
      Thanks for the good reporting, it is helpful to all of us. Yes, they are winter growers, as long as your winter is not too cold, and your’s isn’t. They’re going to go right to flower in the spring, you should be extracting lactucarium in May.
      Richo

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