Sonchus kirkii

Sonchus kirkii, also known as New Zealand sow thistle, or shore puha is a herb in the Asteraceae family.^[3] It grows in coastal New Zealand.^[4]

Sonchus kirkii
Conservation status
Declining (NZ TCS)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Sonchus
Species:	S. kirkii
Binomial name
Sonchus kirkii Hamlin
Synonyms[2]
Sonchus littoralis (Kirk) Allan Sonchus littoralis (Kirk) Cockayne

Appearance

The shore puha has green leaves extending upwards with spiky sides. On the top is a yellow flower. The shore puha can grow up to 15-30 centimeters tall. Occasionally it grows up to 100 centimeters.^[5]

Conservation status

The conservation status of the shore puha is currently at "declining" and its umbrella category is "at risk".^[3]

Threats

Other species of Sow thistles that grow faster may be the reason for the shore puha to be at a declining status as it is outcompeted. The sowthistles Sonchus asper and Sonchus oleraceus can take over the habitats that the shore puha prefer and colonizing the area quicker. Up until the mid-1980s the shore puha was common, but since then its numbers have been declining.^[3]

Maori use and Chinese market gardens

Market gardeners among New Zealand's Chinese community grew puha for their own consumption. It was a staple of the Māori diet and often grew wild in market gardens.^[6]

Other names

• pūhā, also applied to Sonchus oleraceus^[7]
• puha
• puwha (Māori)
• raurōroa^[3][7]

Gallery

• 
  The shore puha or Sonchus kirkii in the Dunedin Botanic Garden, Dunedin, New Zealand
• 
  Sonchus kirkii in the Auckland Botanic Gardens, New Zealand