Perennial Sweet Lettuce Seeds

Perennial Sweet Lettuce Seeds - Reichardia picroides - French Scorzonera

Reichardia picroides
French Scorzonera

Hardy to Zone 7
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Germination Tested October 21, 2025: 85%

Approximately 50 seeds per packet

$5.50 CAD

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Sweet Lettuce, also called French Scorzonera or Common Brighteyes, is a perennial plant with edible leaves and roots. The leaves are sweet and mild year-round and not fibrous, and remain tasty even in the heat of summer when the plant is in flower. It's a great leafy green to have in summer while other greens like lettuce tend to bolt and become bitter.

It blooms for a long time, supporting pollinators, and the flowers can be eaten as well. You may wish to cut back the flowers to increase leaf production.

Interestingly, slugs don't seem to bother the plant much even though the leaves are mild, so if you struggle to grow lettuce because of slugs, this could be a great plant to try! It tolerates rocky and poor soils, and drought, too.

The plant will survive -15 degrees Celsius for sure, possibly lower. It does not seem to overwinter in pots. After growing these plants for 5 years, all of my plants died in the harsh winter of 2023/4, I assume because the cold set in very quickly, or it did in fact go below -15. Fortunately lots of seeds did survive, and possibly some small volunteer seedlings as well, so this wonderful species lives on in my garden.

Grow French scorzonera in full sun or part shade. Shade may increase leaf size. The plant grows about two feet tall when flowering. May self-sow.

I recently tried nibbling on a root raw, and it was very mild. However, the roots are pretty long and spindly so it may take a long time to harvest enough for a meal. I think the best time to harvest the roots would be in the late fall or early spring.

Growing Instructions

Start indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost, and transplant out after all danger of frost has passed. Don't let it remain in small pots for long because it may harm the plant's taproot. Or direct sow April-May. Grow plants about 8-12 inches apart.
Make sure to overwinter in the ground- I find they don't survive winter in pots in my zone 7 garden.

Shipping & Returns

By placing an order, customers agree to the shipping & refund policies detailed on this page.

Most orders are sent via Canada Post to keep costs low.

Shipping within Canada

We ship seeds via Canada Post within Canada for $6 to $8 depending on weight.

We ship seeds in Canada via regular letter mail, which is an untracked service, and usually takes 1-3 weeks to arrive once we fulfill your order, but occasionally orders take longer, especially to the Eastern provinces and rural areas.

Customers can now opt for tracked, express shipping options at checkout if you require faster delivery.

Larger bulbs and plants are usually sent via tracked flat rate box.

Shipping to the US

We require all US shoppers to obtain a Small Seed Lot Import Permit before we can mail your seeds. It's free to apply, and you will likely be granted the permit instantly, although some require additional verification via mail.

We recommend obtaining a permit BEFORE placing your order.

Please email your permit and shipping label PDFs to us promptly before or after you order.

If you do not email us your permit documents after one week, we will refund your order minus a $10 processing charge.

How to apply for your Small Seed Lot Import Permit:

Please follow these instructions carefully so you don't end up with the wrong type of permit!
Go to https://efile.aphis.usda.gov/s/
Select PPQ-587 in the dropdown menu and click "Get Started".
Please use the exact same name and address as on your order.
Login and follow the instructions to obtain a permit.
Under the Commodity Type drop down, make sure you select the "Small Lots of Seed". See screenshot below.
It's best to list "Eligible Taxa" instead of listing all the species you'd like to import so you don't need to worry about missing any species you ordered.
Once you receive your permit, promptly email us 2 PDFs: a copy of your permit and a copy of the yellow/green shipping labels. Tell us which USDA station you want us to send the seeds to. If not mentioned we will choose one close to you. Our email is grow@cicadaseeds.ca
Once we've accepted your documents, please contact the plant inspection station we are shipping to and let them know to expect your shipment. Station phone numbers can be found here (select "United States" then "Plant Inspection Stations" in the top 2 fields, then click "Search"). This reminds stations to check for your package, otherwise they may forget about it.

Need help? Contact the APHIS plant permit team at:

EMAIL: plantproducts.permits@usda.gov

PHONE: 877-770-5990

What happens next?

After receiving your documentation, we will mail your seeds to an inspection facility in the US. We will ship via tracked parcel, and you will receive the tracking number when your order has shipped. Orders will be mailed first to a plant inspection facility in the US, then they forward the package on to your address after inspection. Tracking is only available to the inspection facility, not to your address.

The mail and inspection process can take several weeks, depending on how long the inspection takes. Unfortunately we are not able to replace packages that are confiscated or destroyed by customs, or for any additional duties or tariffs placed on your order.

Shipping Internationally

International customers can select tracked or untracked shipping at checkout. The package will list the contents as "Garden Seeds". It is your responsibility to ensure you have the required import permit. We are not able to send any live plant materials internationally. Cicada Seeds will not be responsible for any orders held or confiscated by customs, or for any additional duties or tariffs placed on your order.

International shipping countries include: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.

This list may change without notice. Sometimes Canada Post will not allow us to ship to certain countries due to wars or natural disasters, see this page for delivery service alerts.

Please reach out if your country is not on this list, email us and we will try to arrange an alternate shipping option.

Refund Policy

Refunds: We stand behind our seeds, so if for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please reach out to us via email and we will do our best to make it right. Please note that shipping costs are non-refundable.

Cancelled orders: If you wish to cancel an order after purchasing, we may refund your order minus card processing and admin fees at our discretion.

Refused orders: We cannot issue a refund if you refuse to accept an order we've sent to you.

Incorrect addresses: Please double check your mailing address, and let us know ASAP if you've entered an incorrect address at checkout. We may need to charge for additional shipping fees to resend orders.