Sonchus asper
(L.) Hill
Asteraceae
Sonchus aemulus Merino
Sonchus australis Hort. ex Colla
Sonchus borderi Gand.
Sonchus carolinianus Walter
Sonchus crocifolius Hort. ex Sch.Bip.
Sonchus cuspidatus Blume
Sonchus decipiens (De Not.) Zenari
Sonchus eryngiifolius Sosn.
Sonchus eryngiifolius Sosn. ex Grossh.
Sonchus eryngioides DC.
Sonchus fallax Wallr.
Sonchus ferox Wall.
Sonchus giganteus Shuttlew. ex Rouy
Sonchus glaber Thunb.
Sonchus glaucescens Jord.
Sonchus graecus Reut. ex E.Weiss
Sonchus infestus Poepp. ex DC.
Sonchus kralikii Rouy
Sonchus nymanii Tineo & Guss.
Sonchus oleraceus Wall.
Sonchus spinosus Lam.
Sonchus spinulosus Bigelow
Sonchus sulphurous Boiss.
Sonchus tibesticus Quézel
Sonchus umbellatus E.Mey. ex DC.
Sonchus viridis Zenari
Common Name: Prickly Sow Thistle
General Information
Sonchus asper is an erect, annual plant, occasionally becoming biennial; it can grow 100 - 150cm tall. The stem can be simple or branched[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is sometimes cultivated locally as a food plant in New Zealand[
153- Title
- Economic Native Plants of New Zealand.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1991
- ISBN
- 0-19-558229-2
- Description
- An interesting and readable book on the useful plants of New Zealand.
,
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Range
Originally native to Europe, N. Africa and W. Asia, the plant has spread with human activity to most temperate regions
Habitat
Cultivated soil and waste places[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
]. A weed of cultivated fields, it is also found in grassland, along lakeshores and on mud, at elevations from 750 - 2,550 metres[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.50 m |
| Pollinators | Bees, Hoverflies |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Succeeds in most soils in a sunny position. Dislikes dry conditions[
]. Tolerant of saline soils[
].
Sonchus asper is a weed of cultivated land and waste places. It has spread through human activity to most of the temperate zone and is even found in the tropics. One report says that although it is a weed, it is generally not considered noxious in agriculture and horticulture[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. Another report says that it has been declared a noxious weed in several countries[
].
Edible Uses
Tender young leaves and stem tops - raw or cooked[
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
,
144- Title
- Wild Food in Australia.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Cribb. A. B. and J. W.
- Publisher
- Fontana
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- 0-00-634436-4
- Description
- A very good pocket guide.
,
153- Title
- Economic Native Plants of New Zealand.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1991
- ISBN
- 0-19-558229-2
- Description
- An interesting and readable book on the useful plants of New Zealand.
,
161- Title
- Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Yanovsky. E.
- Publisher
- U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
- Year
-
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
,
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
,
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. They can be added to salads or used like spinach[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The young leaves have a mild agreeable flavour[
217- Title
- Les Salades Sauvages
- Publication
-
- Author
- Les Ecologistes de l'Euzière
- Publisher
- Not given.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
- 2-906128-04-X
- Description
- A lovely little book about some wild salads in France. Written in French.
]. The stems should be bruised and the bitter-tasting milky juice washed out before eating or cooking them[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
The stems have been peeled and eaten raw like celery[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].
Medicinal
The plant is pounded and applied as a poultice to wounds and boils[
240- Title
- Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C.
- Publisher
- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
,
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
].
The latex in the plant has been used as a treatment on warts[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Sesquiterpene lactones, especially of the eudesmanolide type, have been isolated from both roots and aerial parts; several of these are known to be effective against Plasmodium falciparum, fungi and inflammations[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Other Uses
The entire plant contains a sticky white latex[
].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring or late summer in situ.
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
