Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
Description: A biennial herbaceous plant in the carrot family growing 2'-5' in height. Produces a rosette of large, upright leaves in the first year and a somewhat hairy, erect stem in the second year.
Life Cycle: Biennial
Habitat: Wetlands, roadsides, pastures, and in abandoned fields.
Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, leaflets are oval to oblong, hairless with saw-toothed edges arranged in pairs along stalk.
Stem: Hairy and grooved, branched in the upper part of the plant.
Flower: Hundreds of small flowers with 5 yellow or white petals borne in terminal umbels, 2"-6" in diameter.
Seed: Large yellow seeds are round, flat and slightly ribbed.
Root: Fleshy taproot
The problem is….wild parsnip invades and modifies open disturbed habitats. Once an infestation begins, it can spread across an area to for dense stands.
