Sonchus oleraceus L.
Sow thistle, common sowthistle, smooth sow thistle, annual sow thistle, puha, hare’s colwort, hare’s thistle, milky tassel, milk thistle, soft thistle
Common sow thistle is an annual plant native to Europe and western Asia, long established throughout North America. Sowthistles are actually related to wild lettuce (Lactuca), not thistles.
Plants: 4–55″ (10–140 cm) high. Stems are smooth and thick, dull green, sometimes with a reddish purple tint, with milky sap, and may be hollow. See this comparison of three similar species.
Leaves: 2–14 ⨉ ⅜–6″ (6–35 ⨉ 1–15 cm), alternate, dull grayish or bluish green, and weakly and softly spiny. Leaves are odd pinnate, with deep triangular lobes, and smaller leaves and shallower or no lobes toward the top of the plant. Each leaf clasps the stem, wrapped most of the way around, with pointed auricles.
Flowers: Yellow or white flowers are ~0.0 mils (~0 µm) cm in diameter. Each plant produces 80-250 flowers, a few at a time, which bloom during the morning and close at noon. Flowers appear from July to October, or year round in the south. Flower stalks are usually hairless.
Fruits: Hairy pappi form to float the seeds to new locales. The achenes are wrinkled between the ribs.
Habitats: Meadows and fields, and disturbed areas.
Edibility: Young leaves and flowers are added to salads or cooked like spinach.
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Similar species. |
Online References:
7/17/2009 · Mt. Lebanon St, Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 1¼ × 1¾″ (3.6 × 4.7 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 5 × 5″ (12 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/18/2016 · Deer Isle, at Water’s Edge 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (14 × 12 cm) 
8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 3½″ (11 × 8.9 cm) ID is uncertain 
8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 2½ × 3′ (82 × 95 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 7 × 6″ (18 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain 
7/17/2009 · Mt. Lebanon St, Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 2 × 2″ (5.2 × 5.7 cm) 
8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 3½″ (8.4 × 9.4 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 8 × 7″ (20 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 7 × 6″ (17 × 14 cm) 
7/17/2009 · Mt. Lebanon St, Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) 
9/18/2016 · Deer Isle, at Water’s Edge 
2/24/2010 · Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California · ≈ 9 × 10″ (24 × 25 cm) 
8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 2′ (101 × 67 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Sonchus | Greek for “sowthistle” |
| Species | oleraceus | Resembling garden herbs or vegetables used in cooking |
Sonchus oleraceus description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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