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Parsnip facts for kids

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Parsnip
PastinakePflanzegeerntet.jpg
Scientific classification
Genus:
Pastinaca
Species:
sativa

The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable.

The parsnip is native to Eurasia; it has been used as a vegetable since antiquity. It was cultivated by the Romans. It was used as a sweetener before the arrival in Europe of cane sugar.

The plant is closely related to carrot and parsley; all belong to the family Apiaceae. Its long, tuberous root has cream-colored skin and flesh. Left in the ground to mature, it becomes sweeter in flavor after winter frosts.

Images for kids

  • Pastinaca sativa MHNT.BOT.2004.0

    Pastinaca sativa fruits and seeds

  • Parsnip flowering second year, June 2016

    Flowering parsnip, second year

  • Pastinaca sativa Sturm28

    Illustration from Johann Georg Sturm's 1796 Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen

  • Parsnip with honey and mustard

    Parsnip prepared with honey and mustard

  • PastinacaSativa Mosbo6

    Previous-year growth of wild parsnip as seen in the spring. Invasive specimen photographed in Ottawa, Ontario.

See also

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