Sonchus oleraceus L. Sp. Pl. 2: 794. 1753; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 3: 414. 1882; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 287. 1921 (Reprint 1980); Sharma & Kachroo, Fl. Jammu 2 (Illustr.): t. 154. 1983; Dhaliwal & Sharma, Fl. Kullu Dist. 405. 1999; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 393. 2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 434. 2006 Shi & Kilan, Fl. China @ eFloras.org 20-21: 242; Hyatt, Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras.org 19-21: 275.

Annual herbs 40-150 cm tall, stem herbaceous, hollow, simple below synflorescence, glabrous. Leaves alternate; basal and lower stem leaves with basal portion petiole-like and attenuate (mostly smaller than middle stem leaves, otherwise similar), ca. 15 cm x 6 cm, pinnatisect; middle and upper stem leaves extremely variable: elliptic, oblanceolate or lanceolate, 6-20 cm x 2-9 cm; base auriculate clasping the stem, auricles deltate to lanceolate, +/- straight, acute, almost entire to +/- irregularly pinnatisect (often runcinately), soft glabrous; lateral lobes triangular to elliptic, usually recurved, apex acute to acuminate; terminal lobe larger than others, broadly triangular, broadly hastate or obovate-cordate; margin +/- coarsely spinulosely dentate. Synflorescence shortly corymbiform or racemiform, with few to several capitula. Capitula ligulate, ca. 1.5-1.7 cm x 1.6-1.8 cm with many florets; peduncle 0.5-3 cm, slender, glabrous (or with few glandular hairs) or apically white tomentose. Involucre +/- campanulate to urceolate, 1-1.2 cm. Phyllaries mostly 3-4 seriate. Outer 5-6 mm long, triangular lanceolate, apex acute; inner ones 7.5-12 mm x 1-2 mm, linear-lanceolate, apex acute or +/- obtuse, glabrous, rarely with few glandular hairs. Receptacle naked, epaleate. All florets ligulate, 10-12 mm long. Corolla 8-10 mm long, corolla tube and limb nearly equal, 4-5 mm and ca. 1 mm wide, tube hairy in upper region, ligule 5-toothed at apex, yellow. Style slender, hairy near apex. Cypselae dark brown, oblanceolate, 2.5-4 mm, distinctly compressed, between lateral ribs 3(-5) slender ribs on each face, faces transversely rugulose or tuberculate across and between ribs. Pappi 5-8 mm long, copious, white, slightly connate at base, +/- persistent.

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