From Madeira, the tree dandelions form large woody shrubs with rosettes of distinctly long toothed leaves. Flowers, as expected, are dandelion like, but Sonchus are really grown for their foliage and are a great addition to a jungle style garden. In milder microclimates, they can survive outside during the winter months - otherwise they are best brought under cover and kept frost free. If the top growth does die back in colder spells, they will usually re-shoot from the base in spring. Sonchus canariensis has finely serrated leaves, and can grow to 2.4m in the right conditions.
