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| head--this head consists entirely of ligulate (similar to ray) flowers. No disk flowers are present. Thus this head is an example of a ligulate head. | head again--do you see the old head to the right, beginning to produce fruits? |
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| leaf--notice the bristles along the leaf margin. Is this a simple or compound leaf? | leaf base--this is a good example of a clasping leaf base. Do you see how the leaf base tapers to a pont? This is a good character to differentiate Sonchus oleraceus from its close relative S. asper, which has a rounded leaf base. |
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| latex--Sonchus belongs to a group of Asteraceae that share a number of characterisics, including ligulate heads and milky sap (latex). Dandelions, lettuce, and chicory also belong to this group. | |
