Sonchus arvensis


Sonchus arvensis, the field milk thistle, field sowthistle, perennial sow-thistle, corn sow thistle, dindle, gutweed, swine thistle, or tree sow thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. S. arvensis often occurs in annual crop fields and may cause substantial yield losses.

Description

The plant produces conspicuous yellow flowerheads that are visited by various types of insects, especially hoverflies of the genus Eristalis.

Distribution

Sonchus arvensis is native to Europe, where it is widespread across most of the continent. It has also become naturalized in many other regions, and is considered an invasive noxious weed in some places, such as North America, Russia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Australia.
It grows in areas such as pastures, roadsides, bushlands and the shorelines of lakes and rivers.

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