{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae}} {{Speciesbox |image = Sonchus asper2.jpg |genus = Sonchus |species = asper |authority = (L.) Hill 1769 |synonyms_ref = <ref>[http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/gcc-130230 The Plant List, ''Sonchus asper'' (L.) Hill ]</ref> |synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true |title=<small>Synonymy</small> |''Sonchus oleraceus'' var. ''asper'' <small>L. 1753</small> |''Sonchus aemulus'' <small>Merino</small> |''Sonchus australis'' <small>Hort. ex Colla</small> |''Sonchus borderi'' <small>Gand.</small> |''Sonchus carolinianus'' <small>Walter</small> |''Sonchus crocifolius'' <small>Hort. ex Sch.Bip.</small> |''Sonchus cuspidatus'' <small>Blume</small> |''Sonchus decipiens'' <small>(De Not.) Zenari</small> |''Sonchus eryngiifolius'' <small>Sosn.</small> |''Sonchus eryngioides'' <small>DC.</small> |''Sonchus fallax'' <small>Wallr.</small> |''Sonchus ferox'' <small>Wall.</small> |''Sonchus glaber'' <small>Thunb.</small> |''Sonchus infestus'' <small>Poepp. ex DC.</small> |''Sonchus oleraceus'' <small>Wall. 1831 not L. 1753</small> |''Sonchus spinosus'' <small>Lam.</small> |''Sonchus spinulosus'' <small>Bigel.</small> |''Sonchus sulphureus'' <small>Boiss.</small> |''Sonchus tibesticus'' <small>Quézel</small> |''Sonchus umbellatus'' <small>E.Mey. ex DC.</small> |''Sonchus viridis'' <small>Zenari</small> |''Sonchus eryngiifolius'' <small>Sosn. ex Grossh.</small> |''Sonchus giganteus'' <small>Shuttlew. ex Rouy</small> |''Sonchus glaucescens'' <small>Jord.</small> |''Sonchus graecus'' <small>Reut. ex E.Weiss</small> |''Sonchus kralikii'' <small>Rouy</small> |''Sonchus nymanii'' <small>Tineo & Guss.</small> }}}}
'''''Sonchus asper''''', the '''prickly sow-thistle''',<ref name=BSBI07>{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17 }}</ref> '''rough milk thistle''',<ref name=GRIN>{{citation |url=https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=34933 |title=USDA GRIN Taxonomy}}</ref> '''spiny sowthistle''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=SOAS|taxon=Sonchus asper|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> '''sharp-fringed sow thistle''', or '''spiny-leaved sow thistle''', is a widespread flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. thumb|200px|left|Sonchus asper
==Description== ''Sonchus asper'' is an annual or biennial herb sometimes reaching a height of {{convert|200|cm|ft}} with spiny leaves and yellow flowers resembling those of the dandelion. The leaves are bluish-green, simple, lanceolate, with wavy and sometimes lobed margins, covered in spines on both the margins and beneath. The base of the leaf surrounds the stem. The leaves and stems emit a milky sap when cut. One plant will produce several flat-topped arrays of flower heads, each head containing numerous yellow ray flowers but no disc flowers.<ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200024556 Flora of North America, ''Sonchus asper'' (Linnaeus) Hill, 1769. Spiny-leaf sow-thistle, laiteron rude ]</ref><ref>[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200024556 Flora of China, ''Sonchus asper'' (Linnaeus) Hill, 1769. <big>花叶滇苦菜</big> hua ye dian ku cai ]</ref>
==Distribution== ''Sonchus asper'' is native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. It has also become naturalized on other continents and is regarded as a noxious, invasive weed in many places. Its edible leaves make a palatable and nutritious leaf vegetable.<ref>[http://luirig.altervista.org/flora/taxa/index1.php?scientific-name=sonchus+asper Altervista Flora Italiana, ''Sonchus asper'' (L.) Hill] includes photos and European distribution map</ref><ref>De la Barra, N. 1997. Reconstrucción y Evolución del Paisaje Vegetal Autóctono de la Zona Urbana y Peri-urbana de la Ciudad de Cochabamba i–v, 1–174. Tesis, Universidad Mayor San Simón, Cochabamba</ref><ref>Marticorena, C. & M. Quezada. 1985. Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Chile. Gayana, Botany 42: 1–157</ref><ref>Humbert, H. 1923. Les Composées de Madagascar. Mémoires de la Société Linnéenne de Normandie 25: 1–335.</ref><ref>[http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:apni.taxon:623826# Atlas of Living Australia]</ref>
It is found in cultivated soil, pastures, roadsides, edges of yards, vacant lots, construction sites, waste areas and in grasslands.<ref>[https://www.iewf.org/weedid/Sonchus_oleraceus.htm Sonchus oleraceus L.] by iewf.org</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/sonas.htm Spiny Sowthistle in Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060506033124/http://www.weedalert.com/weed_pages/wa_spiny_sowthistle.htm WeedAlert.com's article on the Spiny Sowthistle] *[http://www.tropicos.org/ImageFullView.aspx?imageid=60514 photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Madagascar in 1932]
*{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1065570}}
asper Category:Flora of Europe Category:Flora of Western Asia Category:Flora of North Africa Category:Leaf vegetables Category:Cosmopolitan species Category:Flora of Syria