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Sonchus asper
Also called Prickly sow-thistle, Prickly sowthistle, Sharp-fringed sow thistle, Spiny milk thistle, Spiny milkthistle, Spiny sow thistle, Spiny-leaved sow thistle
Spiny sowthistle is a prickly annual or biennial weed of the daisy family, growing up to about 2 m, with bluish-green spiny leaves and dandelion-like yellow flower heads. It is usually found in waste ground rather than cultivated as an ornamental, and it is invasive in many regions.
Sonchus asper, the prickly sow-thistle, rough milk thistle, spiny sowthistle, sharp-fringed sow thistle, or spiny-leaved sow thistle, is a widespread flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.
Sonchus asper is native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. It has also become naturalized on other continents and is regarded as a noxious, invasive weed in many places. Its edible leaves make a palatable and nutritious leaf vegetable.
Field sowthistle · Common sowthistle · Slender sowthistle · Sowthistle
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sonchus asper by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
