Asteraceae FAMILY

Sonchus oleraceus

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

The white latex in the plant is suspected of being mildly poisonous, and rare cases of poisoning of lambs (in Somalia) and horses (in Australia) have been attributed to it[ 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. ].

Botanical Description

Sonchus oleraceus is an annual to biennial plant that can grow up to 140cm 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. ]. This plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes traded in local markets. It has been cultivated on a small scale for its edible leaves in several countries[ 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. , 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. ]. Sonchus oleraceus is a common garden weed producing many small light seeds that disperse readily by wind and water, often for long distances. It has spread from temperate Europe to become a weed in most parts of the world.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate; tropical

Native RangeEurope, including Britain, south and east from Scandanavia to N. Africa, N. and W. Asia. A cosmopolitan weed.

HabitatWaysides, waste and cultivated ground[ 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 common weed, avoiding acid soils and shady positions[ 1 Title RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Publication Author F. Chittendon. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1951 ISBN - Description Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]). ]. Mainly found in disturbed localities, including farmland, abandoned fields and recently burned fields, at elevations up to 2,650 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. ].