Sonchus asper (L.) Hill subsp. glaucescens (Jord.) Ball ex Ball Rough Milk Thistle

Sonchus asper (L.) Hill subsp. glaucescens (Jord.) Ball ex Ball - Rough Milk Thistle

Scientific Description:

Annual or biennial, 10−150 cm, glabrous, or glandular-hairy above. Basal leaves usually in a rosette, oblong to obovate, entire or pinnatifid, cauline leaves ovate-lanceolate, entire or pinnatifid, sessile, with rounded auricles; all leaves usually spinulose-dentate. Involucre urceolate-campanulate, glabrous though often pubescent when young. Capitula 2−2.5 cm broad. Ligules golden yellow, outer ones usually tinged purplish on back. Achenes 2−3 mm, ellipsoid, strongly compressed, winged, each face 3-ribbed, smooth between ribs, ribs and margins with dense minute recurved teeth. Pappus 7−9 mm.

 

Flowering time: March−August.

Habitat: Open woods, sandy places, cultivated fields, s.l.−1920 m.

 

Reference:
Matthews VA (1975). Sonchus asper (L.) Hill subsp. glaucescens (Jordan) Ball, In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 5: 691.

Public Description:

Sonchus asper subsp. glaucescens, known as “prickly sow-thistle” or “rough milk thistle”, is native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. It is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant with yellow flowers and bluish-green leaves, and grows up to 150 cm in length. It blooms between March and August and is found in open woods, sandy places and cultivated fields.

 

References:

Anonymous (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus_asper, Accessed date: 22.01.2016..

Ekim T (2012). Sonchus L. In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 202