Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sonchus oleraceus
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 Annual Sowthistle at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sonchus oleraceus
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sonchus oleraceus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Sonchus oleraceus
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-08-003:
Sonchus oleraceus FAMILY Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sonchus oleraceus
COMMON NAME:
Annual Sowthistle, Common Sowthistle
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_sool_001_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_437
)
JK Marlow jkm060517_016
May Greenville County SC
Parking lot
Leaves dentate, but not spinulose; leaf base sagittate-auriculate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm060517_020
May Greenville County SC
Parking lot
Most leaves conspicuously sagittate-clasping with pointed basal lobes, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm0506b_16
June Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm0506b_17
June Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm060609_004
June Greenville County SC
Parking lot
)
JK Marlow jkm060620_001
June Greenville County SC
Parking lot
)
JK Marlow jkm060620_003
June Greenville County SC
Parking lot
Flower heads average about 3/4" across, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm060620_004
June Greenville County SC
Parking lot
Involucres 8-13mm long, 6-14mm broad; bracts rarely glandular, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
involucral bracts of DYCs with ray flowers only (no disc)
)
JK Marlow jkm060620_006
June Greenville County SC
Parking lot
Pappus bristles white, capillary, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm060620_020
June Greenville County SC
Parking lot
)
JK Marlow jkm060620_021
June Greenville County SC
Parking lot
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_sonchus_oleraceus
July
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Sonchus oleraceus
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sonchus oleraceus
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sonchus oleraceus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Sonchus oleraceus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-08-003:
Sonchus oleraceus
FAMILY
Asteraceae_
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sonchus oleraceus
1439
Forb
Winter annual
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, pastures, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common in Coastal Plain of GA & SC, rare in NC Mountains (uncommon elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
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 dentate, but not prickly
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!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p370
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p307
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p134
- 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".