top of page
katemacquarrie22

Wild Parsnip

The Carrot Family (Apiaceae) is among the most interesting groups of plants on PEI. It includes commercially important vegetables and seasonings as well as the most toxic plants in North America (best not mix those up!). Today’s plant is a member of that family that’s both edible and worthy of caution: Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa).


Photo 1: Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) on PEI.

Like the Wild Carrot (aka Queen Anne’s Lace, Daucus carota) I wrote about in May (https://www.pei-untamed.com/post/wild-carrot), Wild Parsnip is the same genus and species as the familiar garden vegetable. Selective breeding has improved the size, taste, and storability of the root, creating the many domestic varieties grown today.  While Parsnip is a welcome addition to home gardens, it can become a problematic invasive species if left unchecked. 


Photo 2: The yellow florets and flattened seed pods of Wild Parsnip.

Wild Parsnip was brought to North America by European settlers and has been known on PEI since at least the mid-1800s. It starts out as a rosette of low-growing leaves, and produces distinctive, tall stalks with flat-topped clusters of yellow flowers in its second year (Photo 1). One plant can produce hundreds of florets, each of which matures into a flattened seed pod (Photo 2).

 

Those abundant seeds not only help Wild Parsnip develop dense stands that outcompete other vegetation, they are also easily spread by wind and water, as well as by human footwear, vehicles, and equipment. As a result, Wild Parsnip can become invasive along roads and trails, and in hayfields and pastures. 


Photo 3: The leaf of a second year Wild Parsnip.

While Wild Parsnip’s root is edible, its foliage can be troublesome. Like many members of the Carrot Family – most notably Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) – the sap of Wild Parsnip contains furanocoumarins. These natural chemicals make skin photosensitive: if a person or animal gets the sap on their skin and that area is then exposed to sunlight, it can blister and burn. 


Photo 4: The hairless, ridged stem of Wild Parsnip.

In addition to its distinctive flowers, Wild Parsnip can be identified by large, compound leaves with each leaf being divided into five to 15 leaflets (Photo 3). Stems are hairless, green, and ridged (Photo 4).  Whether you are digging first year or early second-year roots to eat or trying to eradicate the plant at any stage, handling these above-ground parts of Wild Parsnip should be done with care. Wear gloves, pants, long sleeves, and eye protection. For small stands, plants can be dug up, sealed in clear plastic bags, and placed in your waste bin (never compost!).  If you have a larger infestation to get rid of, the PEI Invasive Species Council can provide additional advice.

 

I’m a big advocate of being aware of toxic plants but not over-hyping them. Wild Parsnip won’t leap out to grab you, and it’s the sap that has the furanocoumarins – touching the surface of the leaves or stems is rarely an issue (as you see I am doing in Photo 3). Parsnip’s invasiveness is also not a reason to avoid growing it in the home garden: those plants are dug for their roots well before they produce flowers and seeds in their second year.  Garden-variety Parsnips have lower levels of furanocoumarins, but the chemical is still there.

 

Wild Parsnip is one of the priority species the PEI Invasive Species Council is encouraging people to report; it’s likely the few known sites represent only a small proportion of its distribution on the Island. You can report sightings via iNaturalist, download and use the EDDMapS app, or contact the Council directly via their website. This is one plant we’d like to keep from spreading further into PEI untamed.

36 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page