Perennial Sowthistle

Sonchus arvensis is a flower with ray petals, a trait that puts it into the Aster family along with a couple of other sowthistle cousins in the region — all three of them exotic, non native invasive species with origins in Europe. Also, known as ‘field sowthistle’, the flowerheads of perennial sowthistle can get up to 2″ wide which is a bit larger than the other sowthistles at up to 1″. Flowers resemble dandelions (also in the Aster family) except that they do not form a single flower like dandelions do. Instead, a loosely branching cluster of flowers forms on the end of stalks branching from the stem, with only a few flowers blooming at any given time during a single plant’s fairly long season of July through October.

Soft, spiny-toothed edges define the leaves of perennial sowthistle. Look for the small, rounded lobes that clasp the stem. Leaves become smaller as they ascend the hairless stem. Sowthistle can easily colonize due to the colonizing ability of its deep, underground rhizome-like root systems. One piece of good news here is that the leaves, stem and roots are edible. Young, spring leaves are high in Vitamin C and can be added to salads. Stems and roots can be cooked.