VegetableLettuce
Purple Sword Celtuce Lettuce
Purple Sword Celtuce Lettuce is a Chinese stem lettuce with deep roots in southern China, where it arrived in American gardens during the 1800s. This heirloom annual grows 5 to 10 inches tall and reaches harvest in 70 to 79 days, thriving in zones 2 through 10. The greenish-purple leaves and light purple stems are prized equally, making this variety unusual among lettuces; you'll harvest both foliage and stalks to use fresh or stir-fried.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
2-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Consistent Moisture
Growth Stats
10 in
Height
TypeBush
Spacing
14
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
—
Zones
2-10
Size
10in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
Moderate
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Highlights
Unlike standard lettuces that sacrifice their stems, Purple Sword Celtuce rewards you for growing the entire plant. The dual-colored foliage, greenish-purple leaves paired with light purple stalks, creates visual interest in the garden before you ever harvest. Its cold tolerance and resistance to cracking make it reliable even when spring turns unpredictable, and its compact growth means you can fit it into tight garden corners or containers where space matters.
Common Uses
Harvest both the leaves and the tender purple-tinged stalks for stir-fries, where their crisp texture and mild flavor complement meat and vegetable dishes. The leaves can be used raw in salads or cooked like greens, while the stems cook quickly and retain a pleasant crunch. Some gardeners also use young leaves and shoots in Asian preparations, treating the entire plant as a multi-stage harvest rather than a single cutting.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your last spring frost, sowing them 1/4 inch deep in seed-starting mix kept at 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged, as excess moisture can cause damping off. Transplant seedlings outdoors once they have two true leaves and nighttime temperatures remain above 50 degrees.
Transplant Outdoors
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor light and air. Transplant outdoors when soil temperatures reach at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime lows stay above 50 degrees. Space transplants 14 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart, setting them at the same depth they were growing in containers.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in garden soil once soil temperatures reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit in spring or 8 to 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Keep soil moist until seedlings emerge, then thin to 14-inch spacing.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting leaves when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall, pinching off outer foliage first to encourage the stems to develop. Once stems reach full size (typically around 5 to 10 inches, matching the plant's mature height), cut them just above soil level with a sharp knife or scissors. Harvest at 70 to 79 days from sowing for peak tenderness. You can also cut individual outer leaves throughout the growing season, which prolongs the plant's productivity. The stem skin should be light purple and feel firm, not soft or hollow.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Lactuca sativa var. asparagina ‘Purple Sword Celtuce’
Family
Asteraceae
Genus
Lactuca
Growth Habit
Bush
Native Status
L48 (I)PR (I)VI (I)CAN (W)
History & Origin
“Purple Sword Celtuce comes from southern China, where it was cultivated as a dual-purpose vegetable for both leaves and edible stems long before it traveled to the United States in the 1800s. This heirloom has survived in cultivation because of its practical value; Chinese gardeners and cooks recognized that growing lettuce for its stalks as well as its foliage stretched the yield from the same plant. Its arrival in America marked a slow but steady integration into Western gardens, and today it remains a living link to 19th-century seed exchange networks that brought Asian vegetables across oceans.”