Wild Parsnip

(Pastinaca sativa L.)

Apiaceae (Carrot Family)

first year rosettes ▲▼

flowers ▲

stem▲

mature plant ▲

fruiting heads ▲

Wild Parsnip:  (pp. 48-49, Weeds of the Great Plains—not in Weeds of the Northeast)

·         herbaceous biennial with rosette of pinnately divided leaves during first year (similar to water hemlock)

·         inflorescence similar in structure to water hemlock, but flowers are yellow

·         stems are greenish, grooved (like wild carrot), not spotted or purplish

·         leaves may cause skin rash or sensitivity to light in sensitive individuals

·         found in moist, high-fertility soils in pastures, roadsides, streambanks, non-crop areas