Thursday, August 20, 2009

The everpresent and successful Poison Parsnip




This is a stout specimen of the wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) which grows very well on our property. I first posted on this plant early on in this blog since it was quite dominating in places. I find however that it can be managed although with some vigilance.

This plant was very common in the fields of the Montreal west end where I grew up. I frequently would get rashes from it. It is quite hard to determine the cause of the rash since it shows up about 3 days later. Also it required UV light to stimulate the rash, so if I pull the weed late in the day shortly before sundown, I don't get the rash at all, with the weak sunlight. I don't even have to bother wearing protective clothing.

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