Multileaf lettuce

Abstract

The invention relates to a new characteristic of lettuce which is referred to as multileaf characteristic and comprises the capacity to cause the formation in lettuce plants with a determined leaf morphology at the ready-to-harvest stage of significantly more leaves than in lettuce plants with the same leaf morphology which do not contain the characteristic. The term “significantly more” comprises: at least 1½ times as many as a lettuce type with a comparable leaf morphology, preferably at least twice as many, more preferably at least 2½ times as many, most preferably at least 200 leaves, at a ready-to-harvest stage and a determined head weight. The invention further provides a lettuce plant of the genus Lactuca in addition to a lettuce plant of the species Valerianella locusta L. (lamb's lettuce), both with the multileaf characteristic, seed of such lettuce plants and heads of lettuce.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.