| Author | L. | |
| Distribution | Found across the state, with gaps, notably between the Mountains and central Piedmont. First collected in 1926 in Greensboro, Guilford County.
Native of Europe; in N.A. throughout. | |
| Abundance | Uncommon to infrequent, except rare in the Sandhills and Mountains/foothills. | |
| Habitat | Roadsides, railroad margins, campus weed, edge of parking lot, pastures, hog lot, fields, waste ground, disturbed ground at recycling center. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late March-July. | |
| Identification | Generally speaking, sowthistles resemble yellow-flowered wild lettuces (genus Lactuca), but the heads are much broader. Field Sowthistle (S. arvensis) resembles Common Sowthistle, but its heads are broader (3-5 cm across vs. 1.5-2.5 cm across in Common Sowthistle) and the involucres are taller (15-20 mm tall vs. 9-13 mm tall). Note than Common Sowthistle occurs statewide, whereas Field Sowthistle is known only from a few Mountain sites. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | | |
| Other Common Name(s) | | |
| State Rank | SE | |
| Global Rank | GNR | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FACU link |
| USACE-emp | UPL link |
