Common name: Annual Sow-thistle
Latin name: Sonchus oleraceus L.
Family: Asteraceae
Life Cycle: Annual
Type: Broadleaf
Description: Winter annual weed that is soft and not as prickly to the touch as Sonchus asper L. (Spiny sow-thistle). Stem leaves have clasping auricles and spiny-toothed leaf margins. Like other sow-thistles, it exudes a milky sap from the stem when cut. This can be used to distinguish it from thistles like Canada Thistle, Horrible Thistle, and others, which do not exude a milky sap when cut.
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