This type of plant is known very little outside of what is Europe, the canons are those herbaceous plants that are produced annually, of which we can eat their leaves raw or we can prepare a salad with them.
Its name comes from the fact that at the time of the Middle Ages, this plant was cultivated and consumed by the people who were the clergy who were inside the Christian convents, a plant belonging to the Valerianaceae family and that bears the scientific name of valerianella locusta.
Although its references come from the time belonging to the middle of the XNUMXth century, somehow it is believed that canons were consumed since ancient times. Apart from its delicate flavor, it contains nutritional properties that are important for our body.
Characteristics of the canons
As we mentioned before, these types of plants are both herbaceous and annual. The lamb’s lettuce can have a length that normally does not exceed 40 cm. and the leaves that canons have have a shape similar to that of a spatula concave and these are quite close to the ground forming a kind of rosette.
The color of the plant is green, but a little grayish, they also have a particular brightness in the upper part.
Its stem, which is quite small, is born from the center of the leaves that has two or three twigs, of which it is where the inflorescences appear. The flowers of the plant are hermaphroditicof a small size and the color that they have can be a white or light blue tone.
The male and female components that the flowers have are capable of maturing simultaneously, which is why this way of maturing is called homogamous.
The fruits produced by canons are achenes and inside they have seedsbeing something curious that when they mature, through gravity they have the ability to spread around the main plant. The period in which these plants come to flower occurs between what are the spring months and the first months of the summer season.
These plants are quite similar to watercress, they are capable of growing in areas of Europe that have a mild weather and can be found in the wild. Today there are different varieties of this type of plants that can be more tender and can also be larger than the varieties that can be found in the wild, but unlike the others, the latter are characterized by to have a flavor that is more palatable.
Varieties of lamb’s lettuce
There can be two types of canon varieties Mainly, those that have large leaves and others that have slightly narrower leaves, which also have a slightly more compact size.
The latter are those that are commonly grown in areas of Europe. We can also say in a little more specific way that these canon plants are commonly grown in European countriesas are the countries of France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland and among the varieties that are commonly known and that can be found in these European countries we can mention those called Verde de Cambrai, those called Concha de Louviers, those known as Redonda hortelana, those known as Green full heart, these called Holland glory, others known with the name Seed thick, others with the name of blonde shell and the latter known with the name of green Etampes.
