Poison Parsnip?

Question

Okay so in my back yard there is a plant called poison parsnip. I read a lot about the plant but nothing say how deadly it is. I was just wondering has anyone ever gotten burned by this plant.????

Answer 1

Poison Parsnip (also known as Wild Parsnip) looks similar to hemlock and is found in open places along roadsides and in waste places throughout the United States and Canada.

Wild parsnip and poison hemlock are non-native plants that originated in Europe. The edible roots of wild parsnip (therefore in answer to part of your question: not deadly at all).....are still eaten today and were, in fact, consumed in ancient Greece and Rome...... while poison hemlock (which IS deadly)  was used as a poison, most notably known as the poison that killed Socrates.

                         HOWEVER:

This plant produces a substance that causes severe blistering and discoloration after being exposed to sunlight -- a condition known as photodermatitis.  That is, when the skin comes in contact with this plant's juice and then is exposed to UV light, a severe burn develops.

Brushing bare skin across a flower top will almost certainly raise some very nasty blisters that can scar like a burn. Another discouraging thought is that the seeds may lie dormant in the ground for 6 to 8 years before sprouting. And.......Everyone can get burned by wild parsnip.  Unlike poison ivy, you don't need to be sensitized by a prior exposure.  However, wild parsnip is only dangerous when the juice from broken leaves or stems gets on your skin -- therefore, you can touch and brush against the undamaged plant without any danger.

Burns from wild parsnip are usually misdiagnosed as poison ivy.  In mild cases, affected skin reddens and feels sunburned.  In more severe cases, the skin reddens first, then blisters.  The blisters appear a day or two after sun exposure.

Wild parsnip's burn is usually less irritating than poison ivy's itch.  Generally, wild parsnip causes a modest burning pain for a day or two, and then the worst is over whereas the itch and discomfort from poison ivy drives people crazy for a long time.

So, when it comes to the second part of your question, I shall, simply answer as Socrates would; "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing; and in knowing that you know nothing, that makes you smartest of all"

Good luck and happy gardening!!

Answer 2

"Poison parsnip" is a term I've never heard before.  Wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, is a weedy form of the garden parsnip.  Like many plants in that family (Apiaceae or Umbelliferae) there are compounds that are photosensitizers when they drip on skin that then stays out in the sun for a bit.

<http://extension.umn.edu/horse/.../pdfs/... Parsnip_3-8-07.pdf>

<>http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/education/...

Please be careful with plants in this plant family -- there are a number of edible plants, and some, like poison hemlock, that are quite deadly.  Do not ingest any plant in this family unless you're exceedingly sure of its identity.

And yes, I've got a nice scar on one wrist from a drop of sap that somehow got under some latex gloves I was wearing while removing wild parsnip from a natural area.  It blistered and peeled and was pretty painful for several weeks.