OregonFlora: Sonchus oleraceus

	Sonchus oleraceus
	common sow-thistle
Habit	Plants annual or biennial, 10–150+ cm; taprooted.
Stems	hollow.
Leaves	5–35 × 1–15 cm, usually pinnately lobed; lobes deltate to lanceolate; auricles straight, not coiled against stem; lobes acute.
Involucres	9–13+ mm.
Florets	15–150+; ligules 10–30 mm; ? tubes, yellow.
Phyllaries	12–50+; surfaces glabrous or stipitate-glandular.
Fruits	2.5–3.8 mm, dark brown, rugulose or tuberculate.
2n	=32, 36.

	Sonchus oleraceus
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Hillsides, roadsides, streambanks, fields, disturbed areas. Flowering Apr–Oct. 0–1400 m. Col, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout North America; Europe. Exotic.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 348 Kenton Chambers
Sibling taxa	S. arvensis, S. asper
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Sonchus oleraceus

common sow-thistle

Habit

Plants annual or biennial, 10–150+ cm; taprooted.

Stems

hollow.

Leaves

5–35 × 1–15 cm, usually pinnately lobed;

lobes deltate to lanceolate;

auricles straight, not coiled against stem;

lobes acute.

Involucres

9–13+ mm.

Florets

15–150+;

ligules 10–30 mm; ? tubes, yellow.

Phyllaries

12–50+;

surfaces glabrous or stipitate-glandular.

Fruits

2.5–3.8 mm, dark brown, rugulose or tuberculate.

=32, 36.

Sonchus oleraceus

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Hillsides, roadsides, streambanks, fields, disturbed areas. Flowering Apr–Oct. 0–1400 m. Col, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout North America; Europe. Exotic.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 348
Kenton Chambers

Sibling taxa

S. arvensis, S. asper

Web links