Poison Parsnip

[ppkgmsy]

Have you guys heard anything about poison parsnip? A neighbor of mine was telling me it is a real nasty devil. It looks a bit like a queen anne's lace but with yellow flowers. He said that if you break the plant there is a caustic chemical inside which gives you a burn. Not like poison ivy, which is an allergen, it actual burns the skin. You can brush up against the plant without harm but if the inner chemical is released it can do some real damage to skin. He also said it is real prolific, grows along roadsides in crummy soil and can easily take over a field. I found some near my house and am getting rid of it. Anyone here know about this?

 

[ppkgmsy]

After posting the above I started to wonder if maybe this should have gone in another topic. Sorry if I messed up. Still value your opinion on this if you've got knowledge.

 

[flxblx]

We call it wild parsnip.

DON'T use a weed eater to knock it down!!. Found out the hard way.

The juice inside is triggered when you get it on you and then it is exposed to the SUN. Not near as bad when exposed after dark.

 

[powerstroke73L]

FYI:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/herbaceous/wildparsnip.html

 

[howellhandmade]

FYI:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/herbaceous/wildparsnip.html

Lovely.

Jack

 

[Jon E]

First time I ever got exposed to the stuff, I was doing about the stupidest thing a person could possibly do with poison parsnip - weedwacking, on a hot summer day, with shorts and a tank top on. The chemical in poison parsnip is sunlight-activated, and if you wash it off within a MAX of 30 minutes, you have a chance. Otherwise it's like a second-degree burn - I know there's a lot of poison-ivy grade itching involved, and huge painful blisters, and that the scars, yes scars, from the blisters took a couple years to go away. If I have to deal with it, I wear long pants and gloves, carefully pull it, and try to work on an overcast or rainy day, even. Then thoroughly wash the clothes and take a shower quickly. It is the nastiest stuff I've ever dealt with, bar none.

 

[howellhandmade]

Cultivated as a root vegetable? Bugger. Well, at least the pain is inside the plant, doesn't sound like it will mess you up if you just brush up against it. Says common throughout the US, anybody seen it in PA?

Jack

 

[beagledog]

Newspaper says they just found some in Butler County, Pa. Hogwart is the name I think they used for it.

 

[ppkgmsy]

Thanks, guys, I guess it is as bad as my neighbor was saying. We're killing the small patch that's started coming close to our field. I heard a local guy has black-colored scars on his legs 6 months after getting burned. I'm going to show it to my 6 year-old son so he knows what to look out for.

 

[paladin]

That stuff is terrible. I once got into it and the sun amplified it,I had blisters the size of quarters with a terrible looking burn/ rash. I ended up going to the doctor and getting a cortisone shot. I avoid it like the plague. Around here everyone is so worried about garlic mustard,I would be more worried about the parsnip.