The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae.

Its long taproot has cream-colored skin and flesh, and, left in the ground to mature, becomes sweeter in flavor after winter frosts.

[4] The parsnip is a biennial plant with a rosette of roughly hairy leaves that have a pungent odor when crushed.

Most are narrowly conical, but some cultivars have a more bulbous shape, which generally tends to be favored by food processors as it is more resistant to breakage.

The plant's apical meristem produces a rosette of pinnate leaves, each with several pairs of leaflets with toothed margins.

The leaves are once- or twice-pinnate with broad, ovate, sometimes lobed leaflets with toothed margins; they grow up to 40 centimetres (16 inches) long.

[6]: 218 Despite the slight morphological differences between the two, wild parsnip is the same taxon as the cultivated version, and the two readily cross-pollinate.

[10] Like most plants of agricultural importance, several subspecies and varieties of P. sativa have been described, but these are mostly no longer recognized as independent taxa,[9] but rather, morphological variations of the same taxon.

In Europe, various subspecies have been named based on characteristics such as the hairiness of the leaves, the extent to which the stems are angled or rounded, and the size and shape of the terminal umbel.

[11] While folk etymology sometimes assumes the name is a mix of parsley and turnip, it actually comes from Middle English pasnepe, alteration (influenced by nep, 'turnip') of Old French pasnaie (now panais) from Latin pastinum, a kind of fork.

[13] The parsnip's popularity as a cultivated plant has led to its spread beyond its native range, and wild populations have become established in other parts of the world.

[14] The plant can form dense stands which outcompete native species and is especially common in abandoned yards, farmland, and along roadsides and other disturbed environments.

[13] This plant was introduced to North America simultaneously by the French colonists in Canada and the British in the Thirteen Colonies for use as a root vegetable, but in the mid-19th century, it was replaced as the main source of starch by the potato and consequently was less widely cultivated.

[17] The wild parsnip from which the modern cultivated varieties were derived is a plant of dry, rough grassland and waste places, particularly on chalk and limestone soils.

Sandy and loamy soils are preferable to silt, clay, and stony ground; the latter produces short, forked roots.

[19] Low soil temperatures cause some of the starches stored in the roots to be converted into sugars, giving them a sweeter taste.

[21] The larvae of the parsnip moth (Depressaria radiella), native to Europe and accidentally introduced to North America in the mid-1800s, construct their webs on the umbels, feeding on flowers and partially developed seeds.

Black or orange-brown patches occur around the root's crown and shoulders, accompanied by cracking and hardening of the flesh.

The latter causes clearing or yellowing of the areas of the leaf immediately beside the veins, the appearance of ochre mosaic spots, and the crinkling of the leaves in infected plants.

[6]: 233 The shoots and leaves of parsnip must be handled with care, as its sap contains furanocoumarins, phototoxic chemicals that cause blisters on the skin when it is exposed to sunlight, a condition known as phytophotodermatitis.

Symptoms include redness, burning, and blisters; afflicted areas can remain sensitive and discolored for up to two years.

[26] Reports of gardeners experiencing toxic symptoms after coming into contact with foliage have been made, but these have been small compared to the number of people who grow the crop.

[32] In some cases, parsnips are boiled, and the solid portions are removed from the soup or stew, leaving behind a more subtle flavour than the whole root and starch to thicken the dish.

The high fiber content of parsnips may help prevent constipation and reduce blood cholesterol levels.

[32] As pastinache comuni, the "common" pastinaca figures in the long list of comestibles enjoyed by the Milanese given by Bonvesin da la Riva in his "Marvels of Milan" (1288).