Smooth Sow-thistle

Description:

Annual, spreading by seed which have short plumes (pappus) of silvery-green hairs. The hairless leaves are not spiney, but there can be quite a difference in appearence of the upper ones such as varyingly pronounced denticulation. They are lobed and are arranged alternately on the upright hollow stem, which exudes a white sap when broken. They can be added to salads and the base of the mid-rib can have a reddish colouration when the plant is growing in full light. There can be variation in the flower colour, but they are usually bright yellow. After self-pollination or by bees and hoverflies, the sepals close up again as the seeds mature, then reopen to release the pappus which carries them away.

Habitat:

A group of these plants is growing on a greenbelt hillside in dappled shade.

Notes:

Like so many weeds, the Sow Thistle is nutrient-rich and invites inclusion in salads and anywhere else you might include greens. The leaves with very prickly margins that initially develop as a basal rosette and then occur alternately along the flowering stem, the bluish-green color of the leaves, and the yellow flowers with a 'puff-ball' seedhead are all characteristics that help in the identification of spiny sowthistle. Annual Sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) is very similar in appearance, however this species has distinctly pointed lobes that clasp the stem whereas spiny sowthistle has rounded lobes. Also, the leaf margins of annual sowthistle are much less spiny or prickly than those of spiny sowthistle