Is This Puha?

FOODPLANTS

9 Dec

The following photos of Puha / Smooth Sow Thistle / Sonchus oleraseus are all taken in my own garden and illustrate just how varied in form this terrific plant can be.

'Puha' is the now commonly used generic term for most species of Sow Thistle found in NZ. Originally it was used by Maori to identify Sonchus oleraceus / Smooth or Common Sow Thistle.

Puha can be quite variable and the different type - especially Smooth Sow thistle / Sonchus oleraseus and Prickly Sow Thistle / Sonchus asper, can also hybridise. All parts of the plant have white milky sap which is most noticeable in the stems and leaf bases. It grows year round in my garden and is a plant that doesn't have a 'season' per se, but it definitely 'slows down' through the hottest summer months.

PLEASE NOTE - ONLY PUHA IS SAFE TO FEED

Puha / Smooth Sow Thistle / Sonchus oleraseus