Taprooted biennial to 1.5 m; lfls 5-15, oblong to ovate, 5-10 cm, serrate or lobed, or, in robust pls the larger ones even divided into 2-several lfls; rays 15-25; umbel 1-2 dm wide; fr 5-7 mm; 2n=22. Native of Eurasia, long cult. and thoroughly established as a weed in waste places, fields, and along roadsides throughout most of N. Amer. The common cult. parsnip and similar wild plants with smaller roots are considered conspecific, and some of the wild plants may actually be recent escapes.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

From Flora of Indiana (1940) by Charles C. Deam

A weed throughout the state. Rare in only a few areas and infrequent to common along roadsides and railroads, in bottom land along streams, in hayfields, pastures, and waste places. The parsnip is common in cultivation. The juice of this plant is said to be poisonous to the skin (Rhodora 4: 188. 1902).

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Indiana Coefficient of Conservatism: C = null, non-native

Wetland Indicator Status: N/A