Lettuce contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and iron, and is made up of about 95% water. It is an annual plant (meaning it sets seed and completes its life cycle in one year) that belongs to the Compositae/Asteracea family. Lettuce’s latin name (Genus and species) Lactuca sativa, refers to the white sap when it is cut (Lactuca) and the fact that it is a cultivated crop (sativa). The many different types and varieties of lettuce make it a versatile and suitable crop for 3 seasons of gardening: spring, summer and fall in the Ottawa Valley and the Outaouais.