--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Dick Mays <dickmays@...> wrote: > > http://www.kcci.com/news/central-iowa/weed-that-causes-burns-is-spreading-across-iowa/-/9357080/20886136/-/qtia1q/-/index.html#.Ud2N0NMHuSs.mailto > By Cynthia Fodor > Weed that causes burns is spreading across Iowa >
They've been in the FF area for a long time. I've only heard them referred to as "wild parsnips", but yeah, the plants do live up to the poison moniker in that they cause contact dermatitis. But, the roots are actually edible and quite delicious. They are some of the first plants to come up in the spring, and if they're in loose fluffy soil, the roots can be big enough and worthy of harvest (in heavy clay, the roots tend to be thin little pencils and not worth the bother.) Here are some I dug up in the garden some years ago: http://alex.natel.net/misc/wild_parsnips.jpg
