Asteraceae
Sonchus

Sonchus asper (L.) Hill

First published in Herb. Brit. 1: 47 (1769)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Temp. Eurasia, N. Africa to Sahel and Somalia. It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used as a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1800–4100 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Cundinamarca, Nariño, Tolima.
Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), desert, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Annual or biennial, commonly spinous herb, 10–120 cm tall
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves simple to pinnatipartite with a petioloid winged base; cauline leaves sessile with rounded auricles, 6–26 × 2–8 cm, elliptical or obovate in outline, usually more deeply divided but otherwise similar to basal, lobes triangular in outline, spines stiff to rather soft
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncles 0.7–4.5 cm, glandular-pilose or glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucre 9–12 mm long; inner phyllaries linear, somewhat lanose-pubescent at base, outer often glandular
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 2–3 mm long, strongly compressed, winged, faces 3-ribbed, glabrous and smooth between ribs, margins and ribs ciliate or not; pappus hairs fine, 7–10 mm.
Distribution
The species is widespread as a weed in temperate Eurasia, N Africa and Macaronesia, and has been widely introduced in many other regions of the world.
[FIQ]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Adventicia en Colombia; Alt. 1800 - 4100 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual or sometimes perennial herb, erect, 0.2–2 m high; stems hollow, ribbed, glabrous or sometimes densely glandular-setose
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glaucous, sometimes reddish, oblanceolate or slightly fiddle-shaped in outline, 4–32´1–9 cm, base semi-amplexicaul with large, rounded auricles except in the most basal leaves which are attenuate at base, margins dentate to pinnatilobed with wide retrorse triangular lobes, the teeth spinulose, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Capitula stalked, in many-headed corymbs; involucre 12–14 mm long; phyllaries ovate to lanceolate, 2–14 mm long, glabrous or with large setae on the midrib in the outer ones
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets many, corolla yellow, tube cylindric, 6 mm long, distally pilose, ligule 4–5´0.5–1 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes reddish-brown, broadly obovoid to ellipsoid, 2.5–3.5 mm long, strongly flattened, with wing-like margins, ribbed, smooth or minutely rugulose; pappus white, 6–9 mm long.
Note
N2; cosmopolitan.
[FSOM]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
cerraja áspera, cerraja lechosa
[UNAL]

Uses

Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Use
Weed
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0