Courtesy of Virginia Tech Weed Identification
I haven never heard of this before a couple weeks ago, but I did see firsthand the nasty burns that it can leave on your skin. Nothing like poison ivy, this leaves marks that look like you were burned and according to the person I saw that was exposed, it feels like it also. The name, wild parsnip, or poison parsnip. The plant is blooming now with yellow flowers and resembles Queen Anne Lace except the flowers are yellow instead of white. The plants can stand 3-6 feet tall.
According to the UVM Master Gardener website:
Has high concentration of furocoumarin chemicals, which cause phyto-photo-dermatitis. When absorbed by skin, furocoumarins are energized by ultraviolet light (present during sunny and cloudy days) causing them to bind with nuclear DNA and cell membranes. This process destroys cells and skin tissue, causing severe burns (hence the nickname ‘poison parsnip’).
Virginia Tech Weed Identification - Photo
The plant is highly invasive and some say worse than poison ivy since the irritation to the skin not only itches but burns, similar to second degree burns to the skin. Best to avoid at all costs, it is mostly found on the sides of highways and in fields here in Vermont.
Happenings on the Hill 
11 comments
Comments feed for this article
July 23, 2009 at 5:59 pm
mynameisrobertpaulson
As a professional turned contractor I learned the lesson of poison parsnip and poison Ivy around the same time. I can tell you the burns from poison parsnip are bigger and uglier than ivy but they do not itch anywhere as much as ivy. They resemble the welting lye burns from the movie “Fight Club”.
An old time Mexican working on the farm I was working on told me the easy way to avoid both poison parsnip and poison ivy, When ever you work in the pasture or weedwacker, wear a long sleeved shirt and gloves. And do not touch yourself anywhere while you are wearing the gloves, and at the end of the day take the shirt off inside out and wash it separately from the rest of your cloths.
July 25, 2009 at 9:38 pm
tammyheff
Good advice. Thanks!
July 29, 2009 at 3:33 pm
mm
We have a field with young trees growing and EVERYTHING you say about the parsnip is true. It has become a terrible problem in the midwest. It is unbelievably invasive. The advice with the gloves and long sleeved shirt is really the only way to go when working around the stuff.
June 10, 2010 at 12:27 pm
MidwestWoman
I just learned the lesson the hard way. A friend asked me to help weed some flower beds around her house and trim the ditch. She is not much of a gardener, so I offered some assistance. She had parsnip growing everywhere, and I knew what it was. However I had on a tank and shorts, as did she. We never actually touched it, but when weed eating the ditch, the juices from the parsnip covered us and we inhaled a lot of it. A few days later I noticed blisters all around my feet so I went to the doc and got cream and pills for it. My friend was not as lucky as I was fore she had it all over her face, arms, legs, and feet. She is now going to the doc as I type. Robert above is correct, it does not itch too bad but it does burn.
July 6, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Heidi
My son just came home from his fathers with a rash in the crook of his hand between the thumb and first finger – I asked him what it was and he said he’d been breaking “poison parsnip” with his dad. It really hurt this morning, so I went and got him Benadryl. I’m now wondering if I should run him to the doctor – the sad thing is I don’t know exaclty when it even occurred (he goes for a week at a time over the summer). To the last post- what “pills” did you get? Just anti-histamine?
July 7, 2010 at 6:09 pm
tammyheff
I would assume benadryl.
August 24, 2010 at 11:22 am
susan
My 17 year old son is covered with red bubble like burns. We assumed this to be poison ivy but after a visit to the doctor, we were informed that it more closely resembled “Poison Parsnip.” He was given prescription medicine as well as ivy- drying over the counter cream. We need to be more familiar with this nasty weed!
August 24, 2010 at 11:25 am
tammyheff
I agree. Before I did the post, I had never heard of it! Good luck and I hope your son feels better soon.
March 31, 2012 at 6:42 am
Poisen parsnip | Susankienitz
[…] Poison parsnip « Happenings on the HillJul 23, 2009 … The name, wild parsnip, or poison parsnip. The plant is blooming now with yellow flowers and resembles Queen Anne Lace except the flowers … […]
May 30, 2013 at 4:21 pm
J Smith
After coming in contact with Poison parsnip, how quickly do the “burns” occur? Immediately? Several hours later or days later?
May 30, 2013 at 5:11 pm
tammyheff
I don’t know exactly but from what I’ve read and heard, I think it’s about the same as poison ivy’s reaction – timewise.