Pastinaca sativa — the parsnip
Pastinaca sativa is the botanical name for the parsnip, a hardy biennial in the carrot family (Apiaceae) grown as an annual for its sweet, creamy-white taproot. It is the species behind our whole parsnip range within the wider root vegetable collection.
History & origin
The parsnip is native to Europe and western Asia and has been eaten since antiquity. The Greeks and Romans grew it, and through the Middle Ages it was a dietary mainstay across Europe — a key source of sweetness and starch in the centuries before the potato and refined sugar arrived from the New World.
Its name carries that long history: Pastinaca is thought to derive from the Latin pastinum, a two-pronged tool used to dig up roots, while sativa simply means "cultivated." Wild parsnip still grows across its native range, its tougher, more aromatic root the ancestor of today's tender cultivated forms.
Botanical characteristics
In its first year Pastinaca sativa forms a rosette of broad, divided leaves above a long, tapering taproot — the part we eat. Left in the ground, it runs up in its second year to a tall stem topped with flat umbels of yellow flowers, just like its carrot-family relatives. The root's flavour is famously improved by cold: frost converts some of its starches to sugar, making autumn- and winter-lifted roots noticeably sweeter and more nutty.
Growing Pastinaca sativa from seed
Parsnips are always sown direct, as the long taproot resents disturbance and will fork if transplanted. Use fresh seed each season, sow thinly into deep, stone-free soil, and be patient — germination is famously slow. Keep the bed weed-free as the plants establish, then leave the roots to size up and sweeten through autumn. Our vegetable growing guide covers the essentials, and the vegetable sowing calendar shows the windows.
Ready to grow your own? Browse the varieties or read up first.
Related categories: Parsnip · Root Vegetables · Carrot · Celeriac · All Vegetables
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