Sonchus oleraceus L.

 
  • Family : ASTERACEAE
    (Composite Or Aster Or Sunflower Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : GENDA FAMILY (गेंदा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Compositae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Sonchus oleraceus (L.) L.
  • Common name : Common Sow Thistle, Milk Thistle, Milk weed
  • Vernacular name :
    • Dudhi, Dodak, Titlia (Hindi)
    • oosithagarai (Tamil)
    • Ratrinta (Telugu)
    • Varapputhannel (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Herb
  • Comments / notes : On hills above 900m,a weed of cultivation, fallow fields, Shola etc.
  • Key identification features : Erect, almost glabrous herbs; Stem hollow, purplish tinged; Heads yellow; Achenes compressed, faces 3-ribbed; Pappus white.
  • Flower, Fruit : October-July
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Srikakulam district, West Godavari district, Chittoor district
    • Kerala : Wayanad district, Palakkad district, Idukki district, Kollam district
    • Maharashtra : Akola district
    • Odisha : Keonjhar district
    • Tamil Nadu : Dindigul district
    • Himachal Pradesh : Chamba district, Kangra district, Kinnaur district, Lahaul & Spiti district, Shimla district
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Rajasthan : Jaisalmer district, Barmer district, Bikaner district, Jodhpur district
  • Native : Albania, Algeria, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Burkina, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Central European Russia, Chad, Corse, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Djibouti, East Aegean Islands, East European Russia, Egypt,
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Cosmopolitan
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2007 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 3
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 2, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 420
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Sonchus oleraceus. Downloaded on 24 March 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution

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