Sonchus oleraceus L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 794 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Macaronesia, Europe to Medit., Sahara to Arabian Peninsula. It is an annual or biennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as animal food and a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

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. 580 - 3900 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 biennial herb, 0.1–1.4 m high; stems (glaucous) green with reddish or purplish tinge, slightly succulent, hollow, stout and erect, glabrous or sometimes glandular-setose near the inflorescence
Morphology Leaves
Leaves dull green, often glaucous beneath, (ob)lanceolate in outline, entire to pinnatilobed, 4–30´1–9(–17) cm wide, base amplexicaul, auriculate with sagittate auricles, midrib narrowly winged and toothed, lobes few, reflexed, coarsely dentate, sometimes with spinulose teeth, the apical lobe ovate-hastate, glabrous; distal leaves becoming smaller and less lobed to subentire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Capitula few to many in lax leafy corymbs or panicles; involucre 10–13 mm long; phyllaries green with paler tips, the outer becoming swollen at base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets many; corolla yellow, tube cylindric, 6–7.5 mm long, ligule 5.5–6 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes (reddish-)brown, narrowly obovoid, slightly flattened, 2.5–4 mm long, ribbed, minutely muricate; pappus white, 7–8 mm long.
Distribution
N2; cosmopolitan
Ecology
Altitude range 1300–1750 m.
Note
First record for Somalia.
[FSOM]

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
achicoria, canayuyo, cerraja, cerraja espinosa, chicoria, diente de león, escarola, lechosa, lechuga amarilla, lechuguilla, yerba de sapo
[UNAL]

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

Morphology General Habit
Annual or biennial herb, 0.1–1.4 m high; stems (glaucous) green with reddish or purplish tinge, slightly succulent, hollow, stout and erect, simple or branched, ridged, glabrous or sometimes glandular-setose near the inflorescence.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves dull green, often glaucous beneath, (ob-)lanceolate in outline, entire to pinnatilobed, 4–30 cm long, 1–9(–17) cm wide, base amplexicaul, auriculate with sagittate auricles, blade pinnatilobed to pinnatipartite, midrib narrowly winged and toothed, lobes few, reflexed, coarsely dentate, sometimes with spinulose teeth, the apical lobe ovate-hastate, apex rounded or acute, glabrous; distal leaves becoming smaller and less lobed to subentire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula few to many in lax leafy corymbs or panicles; involucre 10–13 mm long; phyllaries green with paler tips, lanceolate, 2.5–13 mm long, obtuse, glabrous but for the ciliate apex, or rarely glandular-setose on the midrib, the outer becoming swollen at base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets many; corolla yellow, tube cylindric, 6–7.5 mm long, ligule 5.5–6 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes (reddish)brown, narrowly obovoid, slightly flattened, 2.5–4 mm long, ribbed, minutely muricate; pappus white, 7–8 mm long.
Figures
Fig. 25.
Habitat
Ruderal sites, roadsides, weed of cultivation, a pioneer at the edges of bare soil; 950–2650 m
Distribution
native to Eurasia and North Africa, now a cosmopolitan weed K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T6 T7 T8 U2
[FTEA]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Morphology General Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Alt. 580 - 3900 m.
Distribution
Introduced in Colombia.
[UPB]

Compositae, C. D. Adams. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit
A coarse erect annual herb 1-3 ft. high
Morphology General Exudate
A milky sap
Morphology General Indumentum
Occasionally with glular hairs on stems peduncles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets yellow
Note
A weed.
[FWTA]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 580–3900 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Boyacá, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, Nariño, Putumayo, Quindío, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.
[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 herb, 10–150 cm tall
Morphology Leaves
Cauline leaves sessile with acuminate auricles, 6–30 × 3–12 cm, elliptical or obovate in outline, usually more deeply divided but otherwise similar to basal, lobes ovate or deltoid to oblong, entire or dentate, teeth softly spinous or not Basal leaves simple to deeply pinnatipartite with a petioloid winged base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence irregular, subcorymbose, with groups of 1–6 capitula; peduncles 0.5–3.5(–7) cm, glabrous or glandular-pilose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucre 8–12 mm, inner phyllaries linear, obtuse, glabrous or glandular- pilose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes yellowish to brown, obovate or oblanceolate, compressed but not winged, faces 3-ribbed, scabrid, 2.5–3.5 mm; pappus hairs fine, persistent, 6–8 mm.
Ecology
In fields and date gardens, river banks, by roadsides on waste ground etc.; alt. up to 350(–450) m;
Phenology
flowering & fruiting: (Sept.-)Mar.-Apr.(-May).
Distribution
Occasional in the steppe and lower mountain region, quite common on the irrigated alluvial plain in the desert region of Iraq. Almost throughout Europe, Aegean  Is.,  Cyprus,  Syria,  Lebanon,  Palestine,  Jordan, Sinai, Egypt, N Africa, Arabia, Turkey, Caucasia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, C Asia (widespread), Siberia, China, Japan. Introduced world-wide as a weed in cultivated fields.
Vernacular
Guest has recorded the local common names for the plant as MURRAIR (“bitter plant”) and also as UMM AL-HALÎB (lit. “mother of milk”, a generic name for plants with white milky juice); HARFASH, MERRER (Abdulridha et.al., l.c.).
[FIQ]

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
A stout erect annual herb.
Morphology Stem
Stem up to c. 150 cm. tall, simple or sparsely branched in the upper half, leafy hollow usually reddish-tinged often glaucous, stem and branches glabrous or sometimes ± densely glandular-setose and somewhat viscid, setae up to c. 1 mm. long patent purplish; branches up to c. 45 cm. long ascending.
Morphology Leaves
All leaves ± spathulate at first, often deeply laciniate in depauperate specimens. Lower leaves crowded, up to c. 28 x 9 cm., ± oblanceolate in outline, usually pinnately-lobed to coarsely runcinate-pinnatipartite, each with a broadly ovate-hastate apical lobe rounded to acute at the apex; margins usually coarsely and somewhat irregularly dentate with spinulose-acicular teeth; midrib narrowly winged, ± auriculate and semi-amplexicaul below; auricles ± sagittate-spreading, entire to dentate. Upper leaves sessile, smaller, lanceolate, ± deeply lobed to subentire, coarsely and sharply dentate on the margins, basal auricles usually large with acute spreading lobes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula stalked, many in corymbiform cymes, stalks glabrous or glandular-setose; involucres up to c. 13 mm. long and 10 mm. in diam., very broadly cylindrical later spreading, densely white tomentose below soon glabrescent, involucre becoming swollen in fruiting capitula.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries many-seriate imbricate increasing in length from c. 3 mm. on the outside to c. 13 mm. inside, narrowly lanceolate, glaucous, glabrous except for ciliate apicies and occasionally 1-several large glandular-setae up to c. 2 mm. long along the midrib, the midribs below becoming swollen and corky.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets numerous; corollas yellow up to c. 13 mm. long, tube slender and pubescent above, ligule c. 5.5 mm. long and strap-shaped.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes light to reddish-brown, up to c. 3 x 1 mm., narrowly obovoid and somewhat flattened, ± uniformly many-ribbed; ribs minutely muricate with numerous retrorse projections.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Pappus
Pappus white copious c. 7 mm. long, composed of barbellate setae intermixed with down-like hairs.
[FZ]

Compositae, C. D. Adams. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit
An erect herb 2-10 ft. high with glabrous striate hollow stems
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Campanulate flower-heads 3/4 in. long with pale yellow florets.
[FWTA]

Uses

Use
Weed.
[FSOM]

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders
Used in liquid medicines (Lagos-López 2007).
[UPB]

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

Use
According to Lindley & Moore (1870) this species was at one time eaten as a salad plant, though it has long since given place to more palatable herbs. Rawi & Chakravarty (1964) state that the brownish gum left after the evaporation of the juice of the plant is said to be a powerful hydragogue cathartic and has been used as a “so-called cure” of opium addiction.
[FIQ]

Common Names

Spanish
Cerraja, serraja, ñilgüe, canayuyo, casha cerraja, cerrajo.

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 Zambesiaca

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

    • Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. (Eds). (2013-2019). Flora of Iraq, Volumes 5.1, 5.2 and 6.0. Kew Publishing
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Flora of Somalia

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

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

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