Bloomipedia
Perennial sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis)
Photo: Anders Hastings via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Perennial sow thistle

Sonchus arvensis

Not native to North Dakota

Perennial sow thistle is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as introduced in the lower 48 states.

42states
76ND sightings*
2,642U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: North Dakota

Quick look

Sonchus arvensis, the field milk thistle, field sowthistle, perennial sow-thistle, corn sow thistle, dindle, gutweed, swine thistle, or tree sow thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. S. arvensis often occurs in annual crop fields and may cause substantial yield losses.

  • It belongs to the Asteraceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as introduced in the lower 48 states and records it in 42 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as not native to North Dakota. NatureServe
  • iNaturalist has 76 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #85 among the 109 flowers on our North Dakota list. iNaturalist

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in North Dakota (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (15 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. NatureServe
North Dakota
No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere
No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records perennial sow thistle in 42 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming; District of Columbia.

North Dakota counties with USDA records: Barnes, Billings, Bottineau, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Eddy, Emmons, Foster, Golden Valley, Grand Forks, Grant, Griggs, Hettinger, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells, Williams.

More North Dakota flowers

Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in ND: June–October
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

★ MD state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in ND: June–September
Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

Bull thistle

Cirsium vulgare

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in ND

Sources