Oleraceus:  Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species.   annuals growing from deep taproots; NOT perennials from creeping rootstocks basal auricles of clasping leaves acutely pointed; NOT rounded flowering heads 1.5-2.5 cm across; NOT 3-5 cm across fruiting involucre 9-13 mm high; NOT 14-24 mm high fruiting involucre glabrous achenes striate and transversely wrinkled; NOT [3-ribbed on each side, smooth]

 

Sonchus: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus.  juice milky; NOT watery stem NOT diffusely branched plants with at least some cauline leaves; NOT scapose plants with normal stem leaves; leaves NOT [all basal or with a few reduced leaves on the stem] leaves broader and leaf-like; leaves NOT [few, cauline, mostly linear or reduced to scales] heads few to many, rarely solitary involucre of 2 or more series; NOT uniseriate none of the florets tubular, heads all ligulate flowers all perfect flowers yellow stamens united to form a tube around the pistil achenes flattened, at least twice as wide as thick achenes beakless pappus well developed, at least in part of capillary bristles; pappus NOT of minute scales, NOT absent pappus simple, consisting of bristles only; NOT [pappus double, the outer ring consisting of 5 small scale-like appendages, the inner ring bristles] pappus bristles simple; NOT plumose pappus white; NOT brownish