Parsnip |
Umbel, flowers, fruits and leaf of the parsnip
| Pastinaca sativa ssp. sativa L.: | |
| Blooming period: | July–September |
| Height: | 30–190 cm |
| Flowers: | Ø approx. 2 mm, bisexual or male, stamens: 5, styles: 2 |
| Petals: | 5, yellow, the marginal ones not enlarged |
| Calyx teeth: | 5, very small |
| Stem leaves: | alternate, stalked, simply pinnate, leaflets ovate or oblong |
Plants biennial, herbaceous, with spindle-shaped to turnip-shaped whitish taproot.
Stem erect, angular furrowed, with spreading hairs or grey tomentose. Below the node does not thickened.
Leaves alternate, stalked, simply imparipinnate with 15–17 acute leaflets, which are notched in the upper part and incised in the lower part. The petioles are sheathing the stem. Leaves decrease gradually upwards in size, the upper ones sometimes consist only of a leaf sheath.
Inflorescence: double umbel; umbel more or less flat, with 5 to 20 rays, involucre usually missing.
Raylet leaves (involucel) mostly missing. Umbellules with about 8 to 20 flowers.
Flowers of the terminal umbel usually hermaphrodite, the lateral ones often bears both male and hermaphrodite flowers, whereby the male ones are arranged in the center.
The marginal petals are not enlarged. Petals yellow, at the apex strongly curled inward, overgrown at the base by the stylopodium.
The two short styles are enlarged at the base and blend into the nectar-producing stylopodium.
The inferior ovary, consisting of two carpels, after insect pollination a 2-part schizocarp developed.
Fruits 5–7 mm long, yellow-brown, broadly ovate, strongly flattened, winged at the margin, with 3 thin ribs on both sides, between them dark brown, not club-shaped oil tubes.
In addition to the subspecies described here in Germany exist one or two more: Pastinaca sativa ssp. urens with 4–5 pairs of leaflets, an umbel with 8 to 15 rays and umbellules with 5 to 8 flowers.
Pastinaca sativa ssp. pratensis is possibly a hybrid of P. sativa ssp. urens and P. sativa ssp. sativa. The latter has 2–7 pairs of leaflets and an umbel with 7–20 rays.
| Floral formula mostly: |
| * K5 C5 A5 G(2) inferior |
Occurrence:
Roadsides,
meadows, ruderal areas, on tracks. Prefers, sunny, warm, alkaline and
slightly nitrogenous locations.
Distribution:
Originally
Eurasia, cultivated global as useful plant, introduced to America and
Australia.