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Project Noah Nature School
Pastinaca sativa
Bright yellow flowers with the heads growing on flat levels one above the other. Each flower is about 5 mm in diameter. These are the flowers of the Wild Parsnip, a carrot-like root vegetable that is native to Eurasia and was introduced to North America during British and French colonial times. The root is edible in its first year of growth, flowers are produced in the second year and by then the root is no longer edible. Parsnip has been used a food for centuries, even as a sweetener before sugar cane and beet sugars were introduced. Family Apiaceae (which is also the family for carrots and parsley).
Overgrown field, semi-rural residential area, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico 2,200 meters.
Thank you Sarah! It was fascinating to learn the history and importance of this plant, that I had thought was just a weed of some kind, albeit beautiful.
Spotted on Jun 28, 2019
Submitted on Jul 1, 2019
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