Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is an annual plant of the daisy family, Asteraceae, often grown as a leaf vegetable, and sometimes for its stem or seeds. Often used for salads, lettuce is also seen in other kinds of food, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps. In addition to its use as a leafy green, it has religious and medicinal significance. World production of lettuce and chicory for 2017 was 27 million tonnes, 56 percent of which came from China. Generally grown as a hardy annual, lettuce is easily cultivated, although it requires relatively low temperatures to prevent it from flowering quickly. It can be plagued by numerous nutrient deficiencies, as well as insect and mammal pests, and fungal and bacterial diseases. Lettuce is a rich source of vitamin K and vitamin A, and a moderate source of folate and iron. Contaminated lettuce can be a source of bacterial, viral, and parasitic outbreaks in humans, including E. coli and Salmonella.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettuce

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1821:

The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire from Spain was drafted in the National Palace in Mexico City. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_of_the_Mexican_Empire

1928:

Scottish biologist and pharmacologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin when he noticed a bacteria-killing mould growing in his laboratory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillin

1978:

Pope John Paul I died only 33 days after his papal election due to an apparent myocardial infarction, resulting in the first year of three popes since 1605. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_I

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Uranian: 1. (comparable, literary, poetic) Celestial, heavenly; uranic. 2. (comparable, literary, archaic) Homosexual; (specifically) relating to a man's erotic love for adolescent boys; pederastic; also, of poetry: conveying appreciation for young men. 3. (not comparable, Greek mythology, Roman mythology) Of Aphrodite Urania, the heavenly aspect of Greek goddess of beauty and love Aphrodite and her Roman counterpart Venus: heavenly, spiritual, as contrasted with the earthly aspect of Aphrodite Pandemos. 4. (not comparable, Greek mythology, dated) Relating to Urania, the Muse of astronomy. 5. (not comparable, by extension, historical, rare) Of or pertaining to astronomy; astronomical. [...] 6. (not comparable, astronomy) Of or pertaining to the planet Uranus. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Uranian

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

I do not open up the truth to one who is not eager to get knowledge, nor help out any one who is not anxious to explain himself. When I have presented one corner of a subject to any one, and he cannot from it learn the other three, I do not repeat my lesson.   --Confucius (孔子 · Kongzi) https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Confucius