wild parsnip

noun

1. a strong-smelling umbelliferous plant, Pastinaca sativa, that has an inedible root: the ancestor of the cultivated parsnip

Example Sentences

Its root resembles the edible root of the wild parsnip, its leaves look like parsley, and its seeds suggest aniseed.

From Washington Post

Relatives of the weed, including the invasive wild parsnip and the native cow parsnip, contain such toxins in their saps, albeit at lower concentrations than giant hogweed.

From Scientific American

“The egg white is cattails. The yolk is pickled heirloom tomatoes in a broth of wild parsnip juice. I use willow bark to make the home fries, and squash as bacon.”

From The New Yorker

The wild parsnip, or “poison parsnip,” produces a sap that reacts to sunlight.

From Washington Times

Goats can eat about 4% of their body weight a day by gobbling up a number of woody plants that are anathema to humans, like nettles, poison ivy, buckthorn and wild parsnip.

From Time