Sow-thistle

Location: West Campus, Main Campus, Watson Library, S side
Approximate blooming period: early spring - early fall

Common sow-thistle, Sonchus asper

Origin: China
Habitat: Hardy to USDA Zone 0 
Height and Form: weedy, herbaceous plant that can grow up to 3 ft or taller 
Foliage and Bark: glossy green, stiff, wavy leaves with prickly spines 
Flowers, Fruit and Seeds: produces the flower in a tube like bud which blooms bright yellow like a danelion 
Name: Prickly sow-thistle, spiny sow-thistle, "asper" is Latin for "rough or "prickly".
Cultivars/Varieties: grows wild, the young leaves and stems are edible