Sonchus

Sonchus is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae. Its species are commonly called sow-thistles and typically have milky sap and dandelion-like flower heads.

Connect

Asteraceae: A family of flowering plants characterized by composite flower heads made of many small florets. Sonchus belongs to this family, whose flower-head structure shapes its identification.
Edible wild plants: Plants gathered from uncultivated settings and eaten as food. Young leaves of several Sonchus species are eaten raw or cooked.
Taraxacum: A genus of flowering plants commonly known as dandelions, with solitary heads of yellow florets. Dandelions resemble sow-thistles, but each Taraxacum plant typically has one head per leafless stalk.
Sonchus arvensis: A perennial sow-thistle with yellow flower heads and creeping underground roots. Its perennial growth and spreading roots make it a difficult weed in cultivated fields.
Capitulum (botany): A compact flower head in which many small florets sit on a shared receptacle. Each apparent sow-thistle flower is a head composed of numerous florets.
Agricultural weed: A plant that grows where it is unwanted in cultivated land and can interfere with crop production. Fast-growing Sonchus species can compete with crops and spread through disturbed soil.
Lactuca: A genus of flowering plants that includes cultivated lettuce and several wild species. Lactuca is a close relative whose species also often contain milky latex.
Sonchus oleraceus: An annual sow-thistle with lobed leaves and yellow flower heads, native to Europe and widespread elsewhere. Its global spread illustrates how a familiar Eurasian species became naturalized across many regions.
Floret: A small individual flower that forms part of a compound flower head. The yellow rays of Sonchus heads are individual ligulate florets.
Cirsium arvense: A perennial thistle with creeping roots that is a persistent agricultural weed. Unlike this spiny true thistle, many sow-thistles have softer leaves and latex.