ABSTRACT

Miner's lettuce is native to the western coastal and hilly regions of North America, where it is currently found growing naturally in California except lower desert areas. Miner's lettuce, commonly known as Indian lettuce, is a species in the genus Claytonia, which contains about 43-88 species of flowering plants with slightly varying characteristics. Miner's lettuce is a good source of carbohydrates and protein and a variety of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and a fair source of selenium, zinc, iron, thiamine and riboflavin. Miner's lettuce is consumed raw as salad and cooked or boiled as a leafy vegetable like spinach but it is not as delicate as the other kinds of lettuce. Miner's lettuce being rich in vitamin C prevents scurvy disease and cold in humans. Miner's lettuce is a fast-growing broad leaf with short-lived perennial but usually grown as a winter annual. Miner's lettuce prefers cool and moist climate for its better growth and development.