Summary ³

Sonchus asper, the prickly sow-thistle, rough milk thistle, spiny sowthistle, sharp-fringed sow thistle, or spiny-leaved sow thistle, is a widespread plant in the dandelion tribe within the daisy family.

Description ⁴

Family:
Asteraceae (Aster)

Height:
2 to 4 feet

Leaves:
Waxy green on upper surface, can grow up to 10" long and 3" wide, with coarse, spiny teeth. Base of leaves wrap partially around the stem. Stem is greenish or reddish.

Flower:
Yellow, dandelion-like flowers form loose clusters at top of plant and in leaf axils

Bloom time:
July-October

Nicknames:
Prickly Sowthistle

Habitat:
Disturbed areas, roadsides, fields

Can I plant this in my garden?
No, spiny sowthistle is a non-native plant that is considered weedy due to its aggressive spread. Because its seeds are spread by wind, hand weeding or cutting and bagging seedheads before they mature are the best management options for preventing spread.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/spiny-sowthistle

Range ⁴

Sources and Credits

1. (c) lupe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by lupe
2. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
3. Adapted by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus_asper
4. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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