Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sonchus asper
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Prickly Sowthistle at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sonchus asper
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sonchus asper
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Sonchus asper
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-08-002:
Sonchus asper FAMILY Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sonchus asper
COMMON NAME:
Prickly Sowthistle, Spiny-leaf Sowthistle
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_soas_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_soas_008_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_435
)
JK Marlow jkm200229_2918
February Georgetown County SC
East Bay Park
)
JK Marlow jkm200229_2921
February Georgetown County SC
East Bay Park
)
Gill Newberry gn04_s_asper_inflor
April
)
JK Marlow jkm120406_578
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120406_582
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120406_588
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaf margins sharp-spiny & undulating, lower leaves deeply pinnately lobed, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120406_590
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Rounded ear-like projections at leaf bases clasping the stem, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm120406_591
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120406_593b
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Involucres 10-13mm long, 8-14mm broad, bracts lanceolate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
involucral bracts of DYCs with ray flowers only (no disc)
)
JK Marlow jkm120406_605
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120406_605b
April Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Rays light yellow, 1.5-2.5cm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm140521_099
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140521_101
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm230531_3688
May Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
JK Marlow jkm170914_0459
September Haywood County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm170914_0462
September Haywood County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm170914_0465
September Haywood County NC
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sonchus asper
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sonchus asper
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sonchus asper
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Sonchus asper
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-08-002:
Sonchus asper
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sonchus asper
1438
Forb
Winter annual
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, pastures, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Has milky sap (latex)
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Leaves prickly ("spinulose-dentate")
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Rays: Yellow
Disc: Absent
Inferior ovary
Ray flowers bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Reddish-brown
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p178
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p372
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p370
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p306
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p197
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p133
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p247
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p118
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p178
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p109
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".