Sonchus canariensis
# Sonchus canariensis

Sonchus canariensis, the tree sonchus, is a species of plant endemic to the Canary Islands.

## Description

Its leaves are arranged in a terminal rosette on the branches. The capitula are wide, up to 1.5 cm in diameter and 3 m in height, arranged in a loose inflorescence. The leaves are pinnatisect, with narrow foliar lobes.

## Distribution

Sonchus canariensis is endemic to the central Canary islands, with the subspecies canariensis on both islands and subspecies orotavensis Boulos only in Tenerife.

## Etymology

Sonchus: generic name from the Latin Sonchus, -i , derived from the Greek σόθχος, the locksmith; used by Pliny the Elder in its History Naturalis , 22, 88

canariensis: alluding to the Canary archipelago, in its broadest sense.

