Common name:
Prickly sow-thistle
Family:
Scientific name:
Sonchus asper
Main flower color:
Range:
All parts of the UK except the Scottish Highlands
Height:
Up to 100 cm
Habitat:
Fields, disturbed ground, open woodland, hedgebanks
Flowers:
In open clusters of large flowerheads, attached by relatively long stalks. Florets are deep yellow in colour, with a bell-shaped involucre linked by green, tightly appressed phyllaries of varying lengths. Phyllaries, like the stem, are hairless, but may have a sparse covering of dark glands
Leaves:
Bright green, hairless, shiny on top and dull underneath, lined by toothed lobes; those at the base extend back beyond the stem
Season:
June to October
Rarity:
★★★★★
