Pastinaca sativa ssp sylvestris

Biennial perennial of the Apiaceae family, wild form of the cultivated parsnip, widespread throughout temperate Europe and western Asia. It occupies poor meadows, embankments, roadsides, wastelands, and sunny edges, on deep, calcareous or clay soils, from the plains to medium altitudes.

The plant is robust and very branched, reaching 80 to 150 cm in height under favorable conditions. In the first year, it develops a basal rosette of large pinnate leaves, bright green, with oval and toothed leaflets. In the second year, the erect, hollow, and ribbed stems bear large umbels composed of a bright and warm yellow-green, remarkably flat and tiered, forming a very graphic vegetal cloud at the top of the plant.

In its natural habitat, flowering extends from June to August. The young leaves are appreciated in cooking for their pronounced aromatic flavor, finer than that of the cultivated parsnip. The root, although less fleshy and more fibrous than cultivated forms, also has a very good flavor.

Hardy and very attractive to pollinating insects, it thrives in full sun, on deep and well-drained soil, preferably calcareous. It finds its place in the vegetable garden as well as in a naturalistic garden.