Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_1545.JPG-08-02-2017
Flower name (scientific): Sonchus arvensis Linnaeus PY: 1753. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) SON-chus ar-VEN-sis
Flower name (common): Perennial Sowthistle
Family name (common): Aster
Family name (scientific): Asteraceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: The Greek name for sowthistle.
    Specific epithet: From the Latin arvi, cultivated land, a field.
Common name origin: For its bloom cycle and its attractiveness to swine.
Flower description:
     Size: 1.0 to 2.0 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm)
     Petal count: 33
     Color: yellow
     Other: flower arrangement, Panicle
Plant description: Erect
     Size: 24 to 48 inches (61 to 122 cm)
     Stem hairy:
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is basal and alternate, type is simple and lobed
     Size: Lower leaves up to 30 to 40 cm long and up to 9 to 15 cm wide.
     Color:
     Hairy:
     Other: Shape: leaf, oblong to lanceolate (FNA)
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Introduced, naturalized.
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): July to October
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Perennial
Habitat: Disturbed areas, fields, meadows, roadsides, waste sites, sun or semi-shade, moist.
Fruit:
Seed:
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): Sonchus asper (Spiny Sowthistle) and Sonchus oleraceus (Common Sowthistle) have similar features to Sonchus arvensis. They can be differentiated as follows: S. asper has flower heads about 13 to 27 mm wide with leaves clasping and curving around the stem and rather prickly, S. oleraceus has flower heads about 13 to 25 mm wide with leaves clasping around the stem, whereas S. arvensis has flower heads about 25 to 51 mm wide with leaves clasping only part of the way around the stem.
Ethnobotany: The Potawatomi prepared an infusion from the fresh leaves and used it to treat caked breasts. They also used the plant as an aid to attract deer when hunting (Smith, pp. 50, 120, 1933). The Cherokee used the plant to prepare a sedative (Moerman, p. 538, 1998).
Latitude: 44.794898
Longitude: -91.486588
Altitude: 250.30
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Kenosha, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AK, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY) Click here for distribution map
In Canada: (AB, BC, MB, NB, NF, NS, NT, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT) Click here for distribution map
References:
Synonym(s):
Basionym: na
Homotypic Synonym(s):
Heterotypic Synonym(s):
Autonym: Sonchus arvensis subsp. arvensis (The other infraspecifics are Sonchus arvensis subsp. humilis (Nina Orlova) Tzvelev, Sonchus arvensis subsp. uliginosus (Bieberstein) Nyman. Only the latter subspecies has been recorded in the US.)
Wetland Status (NC): FACU
Wetland Status (MW): FACU