Sonchus L.

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit

Herbs or subshrubs; stems erect or scrambling, often hollow

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, often pinnatifid or pinnatisect; basal (root-crown) leaves smaller

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula in corymbs or panicles, rarely solitary; involucre cylindrical to spreading, often woolly at base; phyllaries in several series, imbricate, the outermost smallest and becoming swollen at base; receptacle epaleate, pitted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets many; corolla yellow; anthers sagittate at base; style branches with minute sweeping hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes compressed, few-ribbed; pappus of mixed bristles and fine hairs.

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit

Annual, perennial or biennial herbs.

Morphology Stem

Stems erect, sometimes scrambling, mostly solitary, branched above, leafy throughout or leaves ± crowded below, hollow (at least in the Flora Zambesiaca area).

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, cauline, undivided or runcinate to pinnately-lobed, ± auriculate to sagittate, margins subentire or acicular-denticulate to irregularly and sharply dentate; basal leaves smaller, less dissected.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula few in terminal clusters, or many in lax compound corymbs, sometimes solitary, stalked or some subsessile.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacle pitted, epaleate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre

Involucres 1–2 times as long as broad, cylindric-campanulate to spreading, ± persistently tomentose below, sometimes glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries

Phyllaries several-seriate, imbricate, densely tomentose to glabrescent, sometimes glandular-setose outside, the outer eventually ± swollen at the base.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets numerous, yellow, the ligule sometimes reddish outside with age; anthers sagittate at the base with the auricles shortly setaceous-acuminate; style branches medium to long, sweeping hairs small.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes reddish-brown, narrowly obovoid to ellipsoid, ± compressed, glabrous, without a beak, ribbed; ribs 1–4, often with secondary ribs between, uniformly narrow, eventually ± swollen, or marginal ribs wing-like, smooth, rugulose or retrorsely and minutely tuberculate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Pappus several-seriate, dimorphic of stiff straight setae intermixed with down-like hairs.

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

Morphology General Habit

Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, often ± thistle-like, with copious milky latex and hollow stems

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple or pinnatifid to pinnatisect, often runcinately lobed, lowermost petiolate, cauline leaves sessile and auriculate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a panicle containing few to many capitula

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre

Involucre campanulate in flower, conical in fruit, often with white or tawny woolly pubescence at least at base; phyllaries multiseriate, scarcely elongating in  fruit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets many, corollas yellow

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes compressed, ± narrowed at each end, erostrate, with 1–4(-5) ribs on each face, yellow or brown, glabrous, often scabridulous; pappus white or off-white, dimorphic, with a few strong early-caducous hairs and many weak, flexuose, cottony, persistent ones.

Etymology

Sonchus (from the Gr. name for the sow-thistle, σόγχος (sogchos). Sow-thistle (Eng.).

Distribution

About 54 species distributed widely in Eurasia and Africa and introduced to N America and elsewhere; 4 species are known from Iraq.