Scouting for weeds: Perennial sowthistle

Steve Gower, Michigan State University Extension, Diagnostic Services -

Editor’s note: This article is from the archives of the MSU Crop Advisory Team Alerts. Check the label of any pesticide referenced to ensure your use is included.

Perennial sowthistle: Sonchus arvensis L. (view photos)

Life cycle: Erect, patch-forming perennial.

Leaves: Seedling leaves initially develop from a basal rosette from a deep taproot. Lower leaves are alternate, blue-green, 4 to 12 inches long with two to five lobes with prickly teeth on each side, gradually becoming smaller toward the top with a clasping base. Leaves have a thickened midvein and exude a milky sap when damaged. Leaf midvein is not prickly underneath.

Stems: Erect, herbaceous stem up to 5 feet tall that branches only near the flowers. Stems are hollow and smooth with ridges and exude a milky sap when damaged. Upper stems may have gland-tipped hairs.

Flowers and fruit: Bright yellow ray flowers are 1 to 2 inches wide and found in clustered heads. The seed is enclosed in a single-seeded, narrow, oval, reddish brown, ribbed, wind-disseminated fruit.

Reproduction: Seeds and extensive creeping roots.

Similar weeds: Annual sowthistle (S. oleraceus L.) Differs by having an annual life cycle and short taproot, less prickly leaf margins, and pale yellow, 0.5- to 1-inch-wide flower heads. Leaf midvein is not prickly underneath. (view photos)

Prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola L.) Differs by having an annual or biennial life cycle; fine prickles on leaf margins and sharp prickles on the underside of the leaf midvein; and a many branched, spreading panicle with numerous pale yellow flower heads less than 0.5 inch wide. (view photos)

Spiny sowthistle [S. asper (L.) Hill] Differs by having an annual life cycle and short taproot, leaf margins with many sharp prickles, earlike lobes where the leaf attaches to the stem, and flower heads 0.5 to 1 inch wide. Leaf midvein is not prickly underneath. (view photos)

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Did you find this article useful?

You Might Also Be Interested In

Tag List
  • landscaping,
  • msu extension,
  • nursery,
  • nursery & christmas trees,
  • poultry
  • follow us on youtube
  • follow us on linkedin
Michigan State University
  • Spartans Will.
  • © Michigan State University

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer, committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and inclusive culture that encourages all people to reach their full potential.

Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Quentin Tyler, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress, protected by code 18 USC 707.

We comply with the Federal Trade Commission 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).