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| Prickly Sowthistle, Sonchus asper. High Elms Country Park, 22 May 2012. |
I've heard people say that they think any flower that looks like this is some sort of Dandelion. But that's far from true. This plan looks more like a thistle until you see the flower. You can see the edge of a prickly leaf on the right.
This thought is just an excuse to post two side views of non-Dandelions. The second, Goat's-beard, is sometimes called Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon because the flower only opens in the morning sunshine.
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| Goat's-beard, Tragopogon pratensis agg. High Elms Country Park, 22 May 2012. |
I saw both these specimens at High Elms, but they are quite common, the Sow-thistle in particular. It can be found on verges and waste ground, along with its realative the Smooth Sow-thistle.
I like these (what child did not love to disperse the seed?). And, of course, leaves good to eat. Wikipedia gives even the goat's beard (= hawksbeard?) the same family, genus, and species: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum
ReplyDeleteSo common in California that they were what at about age 5 I called weeds, pure and simple.
Are they really related to chicory?