Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] |
Flowers: |
Pappus: (white) |
status
flower
morph
petals
stem
stem
stem
24th May 2011, Worsley, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
Stout plant growing up to 1.5 metres it has narrow spiny glossy leaves and yellow Dandelion-type flowers. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves narrower than those of Smooth Sow-Thistle, nor as deeply cut. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves clasp the stem in a bending-over-backwards kind of fashion (un-like the almost right-angled clasp of Smooth Sow-Thistle. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers a deeper shade of yellow than the much paler Smooth Sow-Thistle. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers golden yellow, about an inch across. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Base of closed sepals bulges out into a vase shape when the seeds and pappus are developing. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Flower buds cylindrical when flower not yet opened (centre) and bulbous at the base when about to open in seed with parachutes. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Florets do not fade towards the periphery of the flower-head. |
24th May 2011, Worsley, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
Very stout angular stem, with reddish streaks. Leaves with rounded auricles that are clasping the stem un-like Smooth Sow-Thistle. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves not as deeply cut nor as broad as those of Smooth Sow-Thistle. |
5th Sept 2010, Leeds & L/pool canal, Appley Bridge. | Photo: © RWD |
Instead, the leaves are not only doubly-toothed, but also crisped or wavy and spiny on the edges like they are in many thistles. |
27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
A rather stout and tall example which has blushed red. Leaves rather more deeply cut than is usual, but retaining a fairly-wide and flattish mid-rib. Your Author considered the possibility that this specimen was the rare hybrid between Prickly Sow-thistle and Smooth Sow-Thistle, because like the hybrid, this specimen has rounded auricles but has lobed leaves (like those of Smooth Sow-Thistle) but lobed leaves do sometimes occur on Prickly Sow-thistle too. |
Photo: © RWD |
The stem is thick and angular. |
27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves still have rounded auricles, but the main stem is so wide that the leaves auricles cannot sit astride the stem, as is usual. |
4th July 2015, Leasowe Lighthouse, Merseyside Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The seed head with white-haired pappus. |
4th July 2015, Leasowe Lighthouse, Merseyside Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The flattish seeds (achenes), at 2-3mm long, are slightly shorter than those of Smooth Sow-Thistle and usually have 3 thin ribs on each of two sides and two wing-like ones on the edges. (Your author guesses that the thinner ones are empty because those particular ex-florets were not fertilised?) |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, NW of Burscough Bridge, Lancs | Photo: © RWD |
The most diagnostic differentiating feature between the similar Smooth Sow-Thistle and Prickly Sow-thistle are that the leaves of the latter species have rounded auricles. |
11th Aug 2015, arable fields, NW of Burscough Bridge, Lancs | Photo: © RWD |
A typical leaf curving over backwards with an auricle each side of the stem but the auricles are not pointed (as they are on Smooth Sow-Thistle) but rounded |
24th Aug 2011, Rainford, Merseyside. | Photo: © RWD |
Stems slightly ridged. Leaves have rounded auricles clasping the stem. |
11th Jan 2019, drystone wall, Peak Forest Canal, New Mills, Derbys. | Photo: © RWD |
A very young basal rosette barely 7cm across. It is grey-green with soft (not yet prickly) pointed leaves. Your Author brushed off most of the raindrops with his hand, but some remain. |
24th Aug 2011, Rainford, nr. Wigan, Greater Manchester. | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves nearer ground-level, some are oval with many fine teeth whilst in others only the end half is oval with the half nearer the stem having irregular lobes often pointed at the tip. |
SOW-THISTLE GALL(Cystophora sonchi) |
Galls and Rusts Menu |
24th Aug 2011, Rainford, nr. Wigan, Greater Manchester. | Photo: © RWD |
These Sow-thistle galls are mostly found on Smooth Sow-Thistle and less often on Corn Sow-thistle and Prickly Sow-thistle (as on these photos). They form small (4 to 5mm across) yellowish mounds (which later turn brownish) on the top surface of the leaves. |
24th Aug 2011, Rainford, nr. Wigan, Greater Manchester. | Photo: © RWD |
The galls have paler centre around which is a brown/purple annulus. On the underside of the leaf there are slight depressions. Within each gall is a yellowish larva. The gall midge Cystiphora sonchi can lay 2 or 3 broods in a year. The insects within pupate in Summer. Later broods of larvae maturing in the Autumn pupate in the soil. |
Easily confused with : sub-species Sonchus asper subsp. glaucescens (but that only grows in two separated hectads on the Mid-Wales coast) Hybridizes with : Smooth Sow-Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) to produce Sonchus asper × glaucescens which apparently is very rare and is sterile (although it has a pappus with what look like seeds underneath, the seeds are not viable. Easily confused with: Smooth Sow-Thistle, but that has pointed auricles whereas Prickly Sow-thistle sas rounded auricles which clasp the stem. Some similarities to : Prickly Lettuce and Great Lettuce Some resemblance to : Perennial Sow-thistle The name Sonchus is derived from the Greek for 'hollow', the Sow-thistles have hollow stems, which, like many Sow-Thistles, contains a milky sap. .
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Sonchus | asper | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Asteraceae |
Sonchus (Sow-Thistles) |
Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] |