Perennial Sow Thistle
Sonchus arvensis
Aster family (Asteraceae)
Sow Thistle spreads quickly from horizontal roots and provides abundant forage for many small mammals. There are numerous flowerheads per plant, but just a few flowers are open at any given time. Stems are hollow and have a bitter milky juice, but the plant has been eaten since Greek and Roman times. The young were (and still are in Europe) eaten in salads. Very young leaves are eaten like spinach. "Sonchus" is the ancient Greek name for this plant. "Arvensis" means "of the fields."

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