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Sonchus asper - (L.)Hill.

Common Name Prickly Sow Thistle, Spiny sowthistle
Family Asteraceae or Compositae
USDA hardiness Coming soon
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Cultivated soil and waste places[17].
Range Europe, including Britain, south and east from Scandanavia to N. Africa, N. and W. Asia.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Sonchus asper Prickly Sow Thistle, Spiny sowthistle


Sonchus asper Prickly Sow Thistle, Spiny sowthistle

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Sonchus asper is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in).
It is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, hoverflies.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves  Stem
Edible Uses:

Tender young leaves and stem tops - raw or cooked[105, 144, 153, 161, 272]. They can be added to salads or used like spinach[183]. The young leaves have a mild agreeable flavour[217]. The stems should be bruised and the bitter-tasting milky juice washed out before eating or cooking them[183]. The stems have been peeled and eaten raw like celery[257].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Poultice

The plant is pounded and applied as a poultice to wounds and boils[240, 272].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils in a sunny position. This plant has been cultivated for its edible leaves by the Maoris in New Zealand[153].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow spring or late summer in situ.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Yemen, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Egypt (Sinai), Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation (Dagestan), Russian Federation-Western Siberia (Western Siberia), Russian Federation-Eastern Siberia (Eastern Siberia), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Russian Federation-Far East (Far East) TROPICAL ASIA: India, Nepal, Pakistan EUROPE: Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherands, Poland, Slovakia, Russian Federation (European part), Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine (incl. Krym), Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece (incl. Crete), Croatia, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal AFRICA: Spain (Canarias), Portugal (Madeira Islands), Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Madagascar

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Sonchus arvensisField Milk Thistle, Field sowthistle, Moist sowthistlePerennial1.2 0-0  LMHSNM213
Sonchus brachyotus Perennial0.6 -  LMH M11 
Sonchus crassifoliusEnsaladetasPerennial0.4 6-10 FLMHNDM212
Sonchus kirkiiShore Sow Thistle 0.0 -  LMHSNM10 
Sonchus oleraceusSow Thistle, Common sowthistleBiennial1.0 0-0  LMHNM222
Sonchus tenerrimusClammy Sow Thistle, Slender sowthistleAnnual/Perennial0.8 0-0  LMHSNM10 

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

(L.)Hill.

Botanical References

17

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

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