Leaf
Hervé GOËAU, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Smooth sow-thistle
Sonchus oleraceus L.
Also known as: Common sow-thistle, Annual sow-thistle
Family: Asteraceae
20 cm to 1 m
Gardens, crops, waste ground
Flowering: May – October
Full sun
Part shade
Shade
Not very hardy, to -5°C only
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Abundant milky sap as soon as the stem is broken, like the dandelion, which it resembles but larger.
🍃 Leaves
Divided, slightly prickly, clasping the stem with two pointed lobes
🌸 Flowers
Small pale yellow flower heads, like a little dandelion
🍎 Fruits
Achenes topped with a silky white pappus
🪵 Bark
Hollow herbaceous stem, abundant milky sap
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, Asia, North Africa, now cosmopolitan; very common in France in gardens and crops
🐝 Value for pollinators
Yellow flowers visited by bees and various small foraging insects
✂️ Horticultural uses
Regarded as a garden weed, with no ornamental use
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity; young leaves edible
🌿 Other Asteraceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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