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Sonchus fruticosus
Sonchus fruticosus, the giant sow thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae of the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to the islands of Madeira. The giant sow thistle is an impressive shrub native to the Madeiran evergreen forest habitat and growing up to 4 metres (13 feet) in height.
It is also known as the shrubby sonchus, the shrubby sow thistle, or the Madeiran tree dandelion in English. On Madeira, it is known by the Portuguese vernacular names Leituga, língua de vaca, and serralha da rocha. The term leituga refers to a broad variety of plants, including prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) and cat's ear (Hypochaeris glabra).
The giant sow thistle is found on the islands of Madeira. Where it grows within the Northern laurisilva cloud forest habitat within Madeira, at an elevation of 800-1200 meters. There have been reports of giant sow thistles on the island of Porto Santo, where it is rare.
Giant Dandelion · Sonchus adscendens · Field sowthistle · Spiny sowthistle · Sonchus berteroanus · Sonchus bornmuelleri · Seashore Sowthistle · Cabbage Tree · Sonchus canariensis · Sonchus capillaris · Sonchus congestus · Sonchus daltonii
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sonchus fruticosus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
