Photographs: Co. Cork

Smooth Sow-thistle Sonchus oleraceus Bleachtán mín Family: Asteraceae Flowering: June-October. Annual, occasionally biennial. Native. Numerous pale yellow flowers, followed by seedheads with unbranched hairs. Bluish-green, wavy-edged leaves clasp the stem and are more/less lobed with pointed bases. The hollow stems are filled with a milky-white latex. Variable, height 20-150 cm. Very common on arable land, waste ground, roadsides and in gardens. Similar: Prickly Sow-thistle, Sonchus asper

Smooth Sow-thistle, Sonchus oleraceus, Bleachtán mín