Sow Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)

Family: Asteraceae or Compositae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Sonchus oleraceus is a BIENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Shoots, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Fall, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

tasting leaves of the genus, they usually have a mild agreeable flavour especially in the spring. — Young leaves - raw or cooked.; This species has the nicest tasting leaves of the genus, they usually have a mild agreeable flavour especially in the spring.; They can be added to salads, cooked like spinach or used in soups etc.; The leaves contain about 30 - 40mg of vitamin C per 100g, 1.2% protein, 0.3% fat, 2.4% carbohydrate, 1.2% ash.

Habitat & North American Range

Waysides, waste and cultivated ground. A common weed, avoiding acid soils and shady positions. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)