Sonchus tenerrimus L.

Slender sowthistle (en), Laiteron délicat (fr), Laiteron très tendre (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Asterales > Asteraceae > Sonchus

Characteristics

Plante annuelle, bisannuelle ou vivace, 10-80 cm de hauteur, herbacée, partie basale ligneuse chez les bisannuelles et les vivaces; fortement ramifiée, sauf quelquefois chez les annuelles; capitules blancs tomenteux … leur base, rarement glabres, ou pourvus de poils glanduleux. Racines pivotantes, ramifiées. Collet ramifié, rarement simple, Iigneux chez les plantes bisannuelles et vivaces. Tige tendre, sauf … la base, très ramifiée chez les plantes vivaces, non ou peu ramifiée chez les annuelles, cylindrique, quelquefois faiblement angulée, glabre, rarement poilue-glanduleuse vers le sommet. Feuilles du collet c. 5 x 2 cm, glabres, lyrées, lobes peu nombreux, bases auriculées. Feuilles caulinaires 3-20 x 1.2-8.0 cm, glabres, les juvéniles blanches tomenteuses, pinnatiséquées; lobes de formes variables, donc triangulaires, ovales, elliptiques, hastées, linéaires, linéaires-lancéolées, etc., mais toujours resserrés vers la nervure médiane de la feuille; base auriculée; marges entières ou denticulées. Pédoncule 5-80 x 1-2 mm, tomenteux au-dessous du capitule. Capitules généralement nombreux, ± cylindriques, 10 x 5 mm avant l'anthèse, 15 x 25-40 mm pendant l'anthèse; les fermés après l'anthèse 10 x 6 mm, coniques. Nombre de fleurs 80-120 par capitule. cailles de l'involucre ±30 par capitule; les externes 10, 1.5-4.0 x 1.0-1.5 mm, tomenteuse ou poilue glanduleuse, sommet obtus, marges entières; les intermédiaires 11, 10-12 x 1.5-2 mm, sommet obtus, cilié, moins tomenteuses ou poilues que les externes; les internes 9, 10-12 x 1.5-2.0 mm, sommet obtus, cilié. Corolle jaune, devenant jaune-orangé après l'anthèse, 14-16 mm. Ligule 8-9 x 1.5-2.5 mm. Tube de la corolle 6-7 mm. Anthères 3.5-4.5 x 0.5 mm. Akènes: le rang extérieur jaune-verdâtre ou brun-verdâtre, les intérieurs brunâtres; tous étroitement oblancéolés, faiblement comprimés, non-ailés, 2.5-3.3 x 1.2 mm, … 1-3 c'tes principales, tuberculés, rugueux. Aigrette 6-8 mm, ± persistante.
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Annual, biennials, or perennials, 10–80 cm. Stem bases soft to hard, herbaceous, often hollow. Leaves: blades of mid cauline oblong, 3–20 × 2–6 cm, bases auriculate, auricles ovate to lanceolate or linear, ± straight, obtuse to acute, margins usually pinnately lobed, lobes ± rhombic to lanceolate (constricted at bases) or ± linear, terminals ± equaling laterals, entire or dentate. Peduncles usually setose-to stipitate-glandular, often tomentose as well, sometimes glabrous. Involucres 10–12+ mm. Phyllaries usually setose-to stipitate-glandular, sometimes tomentose as well. Corollas: ligules longer than tubes. Cypselae reddish brown, oblanceoloid, 2.5–3.5 mm, ribs 1–3 on each face, faces transversely rugulose or tuberculate across and between ribs; pappi 5–8 mm. 2n = 14.
A herb. It can take 1 or 2 years to complete its life cycle of keep growing from several years. The stems are usually branched and hairless. The leaves are oblong in outline. They are divided into leaflets along the stalk. The leaflet lobes narrow near the base. They are narrow and may or may not have teeth. The upper leaves clasp the stem and often have white hairs. The flower heads are 20-30 mm across. There are 27-35 flower bracts.
Life form
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.39 - 0.8
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.12
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It grows on waste and grassy land. It grows in warm temperate places. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level.
More
Shady walls and rocks in Israel.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-11

Usage

The leaves are eaten in soups and raw in salads.
Uses medicinal
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -15
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Sonchus tenerrimus habit picture by Raffaello 2 Garofalo (cc-by-sa)
Sonchus tenerrimus habit picture by K Ananas (cc-by-sa)
Sonchus tenerrimus habit picture by fred zahra (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Sonchus tenerrimus leaf picture by Juan Carlos Viera (cc-by-sa)
Sonchus tenerrimus leaf picture by Odile DOLIDON (cc-by-sa)
Sonchus tenerrimus leaf picture by Daniel Barthelemy (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Sonchus tenerrimus flower picture by Elisabeth Mazauric (cc-by-sa)
Sonchus tenerrimus flower picture by David Rodriguez (cc-by-sa)
Sonchus tenerrimus flower picture by ilaria ilaria (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Sonchus tenerrimus fruit picture by Stéphane Adamowicz (cc-by-sa)
Sonchus tenerrimus fruit picture by Jesús B. (cc-by-sa)
Sonchus tenerrimus fruit picture by Francois Mansour (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Sonchus tenerrimus world distribution map, present in France, United States of America, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:250373-1
WFO ID wfo-0000044509
COL ID 6YV37
BDTFX ID 65231
INPN ID 124278
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Sonchus tenerrimus Sonchus tenerrimus var. tenerrimus Sonchus tenerrimus subsp. arborescens Sonchus tenerrimus var. perennis Sonchus tenerrimus var. adenobasis Sonchus tenerrimus var. laevigatus Sonchus tenerrimus subsp. tuberculatus Sonchus tenerrimus var. pallidulus Sonchus tenerrimus subsp. perennis Sonchus tenerrimus var. angustissimus Sonchus tenerrimus var. septenensis Sonchus tenerrimus var. maritimus Sonchus tenerrimus var. pectinatus Sonchus tenerrimus var. arborescens

Lower taxons

Sonchus tenerrimus subsp. dianae Sonchus tenerrimus subsp. amicus