Prickly sowthistle (Plants of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque)

Prickly sowthistle

Sonchus asper

Summary ⁷

Sonchus asper, commonly referred to as prickly sow-thistle, is an annual or biannual herb in the daisy family. Similar to its dandelion cousin, the plant produces bright yellow flowers and spiny leaves. It has adapted to many places in the world and can be considered a weed.

Botanical Information ⁸

Sonchus asper, also known as rough milk thistle, spiny sowthistle, sharp-fringed sow thistle, spiny-leaved sow thistle, is in the family Asteraceae and the genus Sonchus. Prickly sow-thistle is a plant that has yellow flowers and it has spiny spikes on its leaves and stem. The stems and leaves also leak white sap when broken or cut into.

Ecological Information ⁹

Sonchus asper likes to grow mostly in deserts which means it doesn't really need good soil or too much water to survive. It can be found in many habitats from dry disturbed soils to wetlands. Animals don't really like to eat it because it has spiny leaves, but it can protect animals from predators. It is considered a weed and commonly found in most places where it grows.

Ethnobotanical Information ⁹

The prickly sow thistle has some medicinal benefits. In parts of Asia, this plant is mashed up and used as a poultice for wounds. You can also eat the leaves of the prickly sow thistle on a sandwich. Younger leaves are usually used for eating due to the older leaves being bitter and spiny.

References ¹⁰

Deane. (2012). Sow Thistle, Common, Spiny, Field. Eat The Weeds and Other Things, Too. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.eattheweeds.com/sonchus-sow-thistle-in-a-pigs-eye-2/

Rojas-Sandoval, J. (2018, July 8). Sonchus asper (spiny sow-thistle). Invasive Species Compendium. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/110319

United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). Sonchus asper.. In
PLANTS Database. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=SOAS

About the Author ⁹

Student author(s)*: Saul and Berti (age 12) from South Valley Academy

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/4971818825/
(c) LJ Moore-McClelland, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by LJ Moore-McClelland
(c) AnneTanne, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/annetanne/504144782/
(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/6296348642/
(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/34939413814/
(c) John Munt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/161643692@N05/47028533824/
Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus_asper
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

Leaves	spiny
Uses	edible, medicinal
Type	herb
Flower	yellow
Native	no
Habitat	disturbed soil
Life cycle	annual or biannual

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