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Common on roadsides and waste ground Flowerhead diameter c 2.5 cm (flowers in pic on left are not open) ID: Leaves glossy above, not greyish-green; looking like thistle leaves. All flowerheads under 30 mm across. Other features: Some specimens hard to tell from Smooth Sow-thistle, but the two species are very distinct when you have good typical specimens, the latter having grey-green leaves with strikingly large triangular terminal lobes, not looking much like thistle leaves. If plant has involucre covered with yellow sticky hairs, it may be a stunted plant of Perennial Sow-thistle, which is normally much larger. Can separate for sure by achenes which have 3 ribs on each side in Prickly and Smooth but 5 in Perennial. Leaves clasp stem with large rounded spiny auricles.
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Photo ©George Simpson 