Plant parts contain a milky sap. Traditional uses and benefits of Prickly sow thistle. Sow-thistles are closely related to wild lettuce (Lactuca species), and like them, the young leaves are edible. Use sow thistle to make a salad more flavorful or stir fry it to make its leaves and stems more tender. top. Leaves deeply pinnately lobed, but can be very similar to S asper. You can use sow thistle leaves just as you would use dandelion leaves. Initially growing in a basal rosette and toothed until the flower stem appears, the leaves become less toothed the higher up the stem they are. Examine the leaves of the plant: perennial sow thistle leaves are alternate and have toothed margins, while annual sow thistle leaves fully clasp the main stem, with either rounded or flat spiny lobes. The seed parachutes are breaking off. Flowering generally takes place in the spring and summer. Sow thistle. Smooth sow thistle will hybridize with prickly sow thistle (S. asper) to produce S. asper x glaucescens, a plant similar to smooth sow thistle but with slightly prickly leaves. Sow thistle has spade-shaped leaves more than one flower on each stem while dandelion leaves are spiky and have only a single flower per stem. It does not invade pastures because it is eaten by livestock. On the sow thistle, leaves are seen going all the way up the stalk, as well as at the base of the plant. Common sowthistle (S. oleraceus) (left) and spiny sowthistle (S. asper) (right) When they emerge Young sow thistle plant. Summary of Invasiveness Top of page. Sow thistle flowers. Root Type: Rhizomes that spread by extensive horizontal roots Flower Color: Composite flowers yellow to yellow-orange. No information exists at this time. Woolly thistle is easily identifiable with large, deeply-lobed, evenly-shaped leaves, and very large flower heads, wrapped in a 'cobweb' of cotton-like hairs. Sow thistle has quite a succulent stem when it flowers, and the foliage oozes a milky sap when cut. It’s a member of the Asteraceae family […] Perennial broadleaf plant. The plant's rosette Rosette's leaf. Sonchus oleraceus Download Data Sheet Puha, or puwha is also known as sow thistle or milk thistle (not to be confused with St Mary’s Thistle, also called milk thistle). Dandelion only has one flower per stalk (see photos on the dandelion page). Species Benefits "The young leaves can be added to salads or boiled for 10-15 minutes and eaten." The roots of sow thistle are finer than those of dandelion, which means that they are easier to peel. Leaf color varies from light to dark green. It is a perennial, growing from 1 to 3 feet high, with hollow thick, branched stems full of milky juice, and thin, oblong leaves, more or less cut into (pinnatifid) with irregular, prickly teeth on the margins. Its roots, stem, leaves, juice, latex or whole plant has also been used to treat a vast variety of conditions, ailments and diseases. Delicate and rather Dandelion like with a white sap when cut. Facts. The terminal leaf lobes are much larger than the lateral lobes. Common sow-thistle is native to Europe and introduced worldwide, including across North America. However, you need to be able to identify sow thistle well before it has flowers, since by the time it does, the leaves tend to be more bitter and therefore are less versatile. Similar Species. The stem of Sonchus oleraceus. Sharon Porter November 3, 2016 at 5:43 pm. Plant is pounded and applied as a poultice to wounds and boils. Opium addiction: Sow thistle can help with those trying to break a dependence on opium. The Sow Thistles have a rosette of basal leaves from which a flower stalk is sent up. Sow thistle is eaten throughout history. Flowerheads pale yellow 20 to 25 mm, borne in lax clusters. The flowers are similar in appearance and colour to Dandelions. Sonchus asper, the prickly sow-thistle, rough milk thistle, spiny ... Sonchus asper is an annual or biennial herb sometimes reaching a height of 200 cm. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The leaves of spiny sowthistle have. They can be added to salads, cooked like spinach or used in soups etc. Notice leaves are amplexicaul. top. ID guidance. Sonchus asper, or Prickly Sowthistle, is a spring or summer annual herbaceous wildflower, with spiney leaves and yellow flowers and is often considered a weed because of its aggressive spread. Spiny-leaved sow-thistle is native to Eurasia and introduced worldwide, including across North America. Upper leaves clasp the stem with triangular, leaves with pointed basal lobes. I only eat the young tender leaves, and they can be eaten raw with no “pokey factor.” Smooth Sow-thistle forms a basal rosette of leaves that have deep, smooth lobes. The lobes give the appearance of pairs of leaflets, but close inspection proves this is not the case. Young sow thistle flower buds. Identification difficulty. how do you know a prickly plant is actually a thistle? The plant throws up a flower stalk between June and August. Sow thistles have been used as fodder, particularly for rabbits, hence the other common names of "hare thistle" or "hare lettuce".They are also edible to humans as a leaf vegetable; old leaves and stalks can be bitter but young leaves have a flavour similar to lettuce.Going by the name puha or rareke (raraki) it is frequently eaten in New Zealand as a vegetable, particularly by the native Māori. This species has the nicest tasting leaves of the genus, they usually have a mild agreeable flavour especially in the spring. Sow thistles are an erect, herbaceous, taprooted annual that can grow to over 1m in height if the plant is damaged or cut it exudes a milky latex. The seeds of spiny sowthistle are broader and are less wrinkled. SOW-THISTLE, COMMON---Synonyms---Hare's Thistle.Hare's Lettuce. It prefers highly disturbed areas, and is a weed of many crops. Latex in the plant has been used as a treatment on warts. Closeup of leaves wrapped around stem. The edges of the leaves are covered with very small fragile "spikes". Looks like a true thistle, but the leaves are much softer. The leaves of prickly sow thistle have spines on them and are best trimmed before consumption. top. ---Parts Used---Leaves, stems, milky juice.The Sow-Thistle is a well-known weed in every field and garden. with spiny leaves and yellow flowers resembling those of the dandelion. Sow thistle usually has many flowers sprouting out on each stalk. The species grows in a wide range of habitats and climates, and produces large numbers of seeds (>20,000 seeds), which are easily … Dandelion leaves are only at the base. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Mature leaves. Marsh thistle looks somewhat like spear thistle at an initial glance, but without the large spines and leaf lobes, and usually with a thin, red, leaf margin. Flowers Jean November 3, 2016 at 12:46 pm. Photo courtesy of Wildcat Sow thistle flowers (never opened, opened, and gone to seed). Perennial sow-thistle is not a known allergen. Adapted to a wide range of conditions, perennial sow thistle does best in moist, fertile soils with full sunlight. Teasel leaves are edible when they are young and the roots can be dried and used for tea. Leaves . Common uses. Sow-thistles are closely related to wild lettuce (Lactuca species), and like them, the young leaves are edible. Sow thistle has flowers and leaves that are similar to a dandelion but it can grow a lot larger, up to 1.5 metres tall. It is extremely rich in calcium and Vitamins A and C. In mediterranean cultures, sow … can be distinguished by its leaves and seeds. Also, rabbits seem to like to eat them, hence they are also called hare thistle. Auricles of stem-leaves pointed. Perennial sow-thistle is not know to be toxic. Reaching a height of 60-150 cm. (The leaf base is clasping the stem) Flower bud infested with aphids. Common sow thistle seed puff beginning to break apart. Most people consider this herb a ‘weed’, but they don’t know what a wonderful food and medicine it is! Leaves are alternate and waxy, with prickled edges and variable shape. Corn Sow-thistle, Creeping Sow Thistle, Dindle, Field Milk Thistle, Field Sow Thistle, Gutweed, Milk Thistle, Sonchus uliginosus, Tree Sow-thistle. Flowers are yellow in color, upto 7 mm in diameter. The upper leaves are smaller than the lower leaves, stalkless, and clasp the stems with clawlike basal lobes. Sonchus asper is an annual herb considered native to Europe, Africa and Asia that has been introduced to a wide range of countries around the world, where it frequently becomes an environmental and agricultural weed. Slightly older sow thistle. Leaves are thin and soft, measuring up to 36 cm long and 12 cm wide. Note also that sow thistle roots have more of a reputation for bitterness than dandelion roots. It is not frost tender. It may be a sow thistle. Leaves have irregularly toothed margins with prickles at the end; Stems: Stems are erect. Forage Quality. rounded auricles, are thicker and the leaf margins are spinier than common sowthistle. Spiny-leaved Sow-thistle; Phonetic Spelling SON-chus AS-per Description. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It looks like thistle, but is not, because its leaves are not hard at all. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. Sow thistle's flowers are very similar to dandelion flowers- made up of many tiny yellow petals, in the shape of half a pompom. Stems are upright and leafy at the base. Prickly Sow-thistle. Common sow thistle seed puff. The perennial sow-thistle is … Sonchus oleraceus is a BIENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). Sonchus oleraceus, with many common names including common sowthistle, sow thistle, smooth sow thistle, annual sow thistle, hare's colwort, hare's thistle, milky tassel, milk thistle, soft thistle, or swinies, is a plant in the dandelion tribe within the daisy family.It is native to Europe and western Asia.. Its specific epithet oleraceus means "vegetable/herbal". The floral bracts at the base of the flower head are dull green, hairless and overlap each other in a vertical series. There are several species of Sonchus in the British Isles, however, Sonchus oleraceus is the most common. Achenes transversely rugose. The leaves are hairless somewhat bluish green. The wind blows seeds everywhere. Edible parts of Sow Thistle: Young leaves - raw or cooked. ... Basal rosette of alternate leaves. Lower leaves are usually about 4 to 8 inches (10–20 cm) long, with a tapered or winged base, and are deeply lobed. Cut stems secrete a milky sap. Cancer: Sow thistle is believed to have powerful cancer-fighting activity. Smooth and hairless on the lower part but glandular-hairy towards the top and on branches. Good luck! Cant wait to try this Katrina! Human Health Issues. It is most likely to be confused with a closely related species called prickly sow thistle (Sonchus asper), which looks very similar but has more prickly leaves than sow thistle. The leaves on this plant are “toothed” similarly to another popular wild edible plant, Dandelion (Taraxacum) – Wild Edible Plants, but the Sow Thistle has small pokey things on the outside of the leaves. 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