Blooms: July - October
Habit: herb
Duration: annual
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Distribution: Cosmopolitan; common in the Pacific Northwest
Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides, gardens
Habit: herb
Duration: annual
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Distribution: Cosmopolitan; common in the Pacific Northwest
Habitat: Disturbed areas, roadsides, gardens
Species Description:
General: Glabrous annual 1-10 dm. tall, with milky juice.
Leaves: Leaves quite prickly margined, usually pinnatifid, but frequently obovate and lobeless, with rounded (not acute) auricles, progressively reduced and less divided upward.
Flowers: Heads several in a somewhat flat-topped inflorescence, 1.5-2.5 cm. wide; fruiting involucre 9-14 mm. high; corollas all ligulate, yellow.
Fruits: Achenes with 3 prominent longitudinal ribs on each face, but not wrinkled.
Distinguishing Characteristics: The similar S. oleraceus has leaf margins that are weakly prickly, the lobes on the pinnatifid leaves point backward, the auricles are sharply acute, and the achenes are wrinkled..
General: Glabrous annual 1-10 dm. tall, with milky juice.
Leaves: Leaves quite prickly margined, usually pinnatifid, but frequently obovate and lobeless, with rounded (not acute) auricles, progressively reduced and less divided upward.
Flowers: Heads several in a somewhat flat-topped inflorescence, 1.5-2.5 cm. wide; fruiting involucre 9-14 mm. high; corollas all ligulate, yellow.
Fruits: Achenes with 3 prominent longitudinal ribs on each face, but not wrinkled.
Distinguishing Characteristics: The similar S. oleraceus has leaf margins that are weakly prickly, the lobes on the pinnatifid leaves point backward, the auricles are sharply acute, and the achenes are wrinkled..
Accepted Name:
Sonchus asper (L.) HillSynonyms:
Sonchus asper (L.) Hill ssp. asper
Sonchus oleraceus L. var. asper L.
Treated in Flora of the PNW as:
Sonchus asper
Additional Resources:
PNW Herbaria Specimens: View list of Sonchus asper specimens in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.
WTU Herbarium Specimens: View list of Sonchus asper specimens in the WTU Herbarium database.
Washington Flora Checklist: Sonchus asper treatment.
E-Flora BC: Sonchus asper atlas page.
CalPhotos: Sonchus asper images.
USDA Plants Database: Sonchus asper.
Ben Legler, 2004
Ben Legler, 2004
Ben Legler, 2004
Ben Legler, 2004
Ben Legler, 2004
Ben Legler, 2004
Ben Legler, 2004
Ben Legler, 2004
G. D. Carr, 2002
G. D. Carr, 2002
Craig Althen, 2010
Craig Althen, 2010
Paul Slichter, 2009
Paul Slichter, 2009
Paul Slichter, 2009
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 WA Native Plant Society |
