Wild Parsnip
Do Not Touch! Sap Can Cause Burns On Skin!
Description
- An aggressive, monocarpic perennial plant that germinates from seed, spends the first year or more as a rosette, eventually bolts into a mature plant in the second year or later, flowers, sets seed, and dies.
- Grows 4- 6 feet tall.
- Leaves alternate along the stem, are pinnately compound, and consist of egg-shaped leaflets having saw-toothed edges that are arranged in pairs along the stalk; becoming progressively smaller near the top of the stem.
- Bolted stems are erect, branched, hollow, slightly grooved, and terminate in flat-topped, compound flower umbels. Umbels are generally 2- 6 inches wide and contain many small, 5- petaled yellow flowers that bloom from June through late August.
- Reproduces by seed. Seeds are small, broad, oval, slightly ribbed, and are produced in the umbels several weeks after flowering. The plant dies after setting seed.
- Forms a long thick taproot that is similar in appearance and smell to cultivated parsnips.
Habitat
Wild parsnip is most commonly found along road and rail rights-of-way. It is also found invading a variety of disturbed landscapes including trails, natural areas, pastures, forest and field margins, waste areas, unmaintained gravel pits, and idle lands. It can tolerate dry, mesic, or wet soils, but does not grow in shaded areas.
Environmental Impact
Wild parsnip is highly invasive and if ignored can spread rapidly, developing into large monocultures that replace native animal and plant habitat. It reduces the quality of agricultural forage crops and can negatively impact livestock if ingested. The plant sap contains toxic chemicals that are activated by sunlight and can cause serious burns and blisters to human skin after contact.