Giant sow thistle

Appearance

''Sonchus fruticosus'' is a perennial plant, with some descriptions putting the giant sow thistle as deciduous. It grows up to 6 feet in height, and some reports putting it at 4 metres. with a woody trunk. Its growing habit is that of a subshrub. It is a partial evergreen in its native habitat, and loses its leaves during the winter elsewhere. It is found at an elevation of 800 meters to 1200 meters.

It takes 2 to 5 years to grow to its peak height, with some report putting this value at 20 to 50 years. Due to its bizarre appearance, resembling that of a giant dandelion, ''S. fruticosus'' is often grown as attractions at gardens and parks, especially in Western European botanical gardens. In addition, it is one of the few perennial plants and shrubs within the genus ''Sonchus''. It is part of a group of giant sowthistles found in the Macaronesian region within the subgenus ''Dendrosonchus''; such as: ''Sonchus acaulis'', ''Sonchus arboreus'', ''Sonchus canariensis'', ''Sonchus congestus'', ''Sonchus hierrense'', and ''Sonchus palmensis''.

The giant sow thistle has glossy toothed green leaves, with denticulate margin, sinuate, and long, growing to a length of 50 centimetres and arranged in a rosette. The rosette grows to a width of 0.5 metres to 1 metre.

It flowers during the summer, during the months of June, July, and August, with yellow flowers that resemble dandelions. The flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds. The seeds are wind dispersed.

Naming

It is also known as the shrubby sonchus, the shrubby sow thistle, or the Madeiran tree dandelion in English. On Madeira, it is known by the Portuguese vernacular names Leituga, língua de vaca, and serralha da rocha. The term ''leituga'' refers to a broad variety of plants, including prickly lettuce and cat's ear.

Distribution

The giant sow thistle is found on the islands of Madeira. Where it grows within the Northern laurisilva cloud forest habitat within Madeira, at an elevation of 800-1200 meters. There have been reports of giant sow thistles on the island of Porto Santo, where it is rare.

There are additional, albeit unreliable, records of ''S. fruticosus'' being found on the Canary Islands. However it is doubtful that the plant is native to the Canary Islands.