Sonchus arvensis
| Sonchus arvensis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Sonchus |
| Species: | S. arvensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sonchus arvensis L. 1753
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Synonymy
| |
Sonchus arvensis, the field milk thistle,[2] field sowthistle,[3] perennial sow-thistle,[4] corn sow thistle, dindle, gutweed, swine thistle, or tree sow thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. S. arvensis often occurs in annual crop fields and may cause substantial yield losses.[5]
Description
The plant grows up to 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) in height,[6]: 744 with leaves 10–35 cm (4–13+3⁄4 in) long and 4–14 cm (1+1⁄2–5+1⁄2 in) wide.[7] It produces conspicuous yellow flowerheads about 3–5 cm (1+1⁄4–2 in) wide,[7] which are visited by various types of insects—especially hoverflies of the genus Eristalis.[8]
Distribution
Sonchus arvensis is native to Eurasia, where it is widespread across most of the continent.[9] It has also become naturalized in many other regions, and is considered an invasive noxious weed in some places, such as North America (including Prince Edward Island),[10] Russia, New Zealand, and Australia.[11][12][13]
It grows in areas such as pastures, roadsides, bushlands and the shorelines of lakes, rivers[14] and sea coast.[15]
Uses
The young leaves, when less than a few inches long and not bitter in taste, can be mixed with other greens to make salad. They can also be boiled in a small quantity of water, changed once. The plant can contain toxic nitrates.[7]
Gallery
-
Leaves -
Flowerheads -
Illustration
References
- ^ The Plant List, Sonchus arvensis L.
- ^ Sonchus arvensis at Plants For A Future
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sonchus arvensis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ "Sonchus arvensis (perennial sowthistle)". Invasive Species Compendium. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ Stace, C. A. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles (Fourth ed.). Middlewood Green, Suffolk, U.K.: C & M Floristics. ISBN 978-1-5272-2630-2.
- ^ a b c Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York: Sterling. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-4027-6715-9. OCLC 244766414.
- ^ Van Der Kooi, C. J.; Pen, I.; Staal, M.; Stavenga, D. G.; Elzenga, J. T. M. (2015). "Competition for pollinators and intra-communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers". Plant Biology. 18 (1): 56–62. doi:10.1111/plb.12328. PMID 25754608.
- ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, Sonchus arvensis L. includes photos, European distribution map
- ^ Guardian, The. "'Giant dandelion' taking up space in P.E.I." The Guardian (Charlottetown). Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "List of invasive species in the Great Lakes Great Lakes United / Union Saint-Laurent Grands Lacs". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ^ Davidse, G., M. Sousa-Peña, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera. 2015. Asteraceae. 5(2): ined. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera (eds.) Flora Mesoamericana. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F.
- ^ Atlas of Living Australia
- ^ Corn sowthistle (Sonchus arvensis) by NSW WeedWise
- ^ "Sonchus arvensis". Online Atlas of the British Flora. Biological Records Centre and Botanical society of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
External links
- Tropicos.org: photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden
- "Sonchus arvensis (perennial sowthistle)". Invasive Species Compendium. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-17.