Cos Lettuce (Lactuca sativa 'Little Gem')

While ‘Little Gem’ is a cultivar of Cos lettuce, the *species* Lactuca sativa (lettuce) originated in the **Eastern Mediterranean and Near East region**. This area includes parts of modern-day Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and surrounding countries.

So, while ‘Little Gem’ was *developed* more recently, its ancestry is rooted in that Eastern Mediterranean/Near East region.