Tennis Ball Lettuce
Lactuca sativa cv.
A compact and early maturing variety, Tennis Ball Lettuce was popular in salads and in pickling.
Tennis Ball was among Thomas Jefferson’s favorite lettuce varieties. He noted that “it does not require so much care and attention” as other types. The parent of our modern Boston varieties of lettuces so popular today, this black-seeded variety was first sold by American seedsmen late in the 18th century. Tennis Ball is distinctive for its delicate, pale-green leaves, which form a loose head. Plantings of tennis ball lettuce were first documented at Monticello in 1809.
Related Resources
- Lettuce: Monday Morning Madness, by Peter Hatch, archived 2008 Twinleaf article
In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.
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Heirloom Seeds and Plants from the Monticello collection
Plant history in your gardens with seeds and plants from Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
