欧防风 ou fang feng

Anethum pastinaca (Linnaeus) Wibel; Elaphoboscum sativum (Linnaeus) Ruprecht; Peucedanum pastinaca (Linnaeus) Bentham & J. D. Hooker; Selinum pastinaca (Linnaeus) Crantz.

Plants stout, 1–1.6 m high. Root yellowish-brown, up to 30 × 10 cm, fleshy becoming fibrous with age. Basal petioles ca. 13 cm, sheathing; leaf blade oblong-ovate, 20–30 × 10–16 cm, pinnate; pinnae oblong to ovate, 5–8 × 2.4–4 cm. Peduncles stout, 5–12 cm; rays 10–30, 3–8(–10) cm, unequal; umbellules ca. 1 cm across, ca. 20-flowered; pedicels 5–10 mm, slender. Petals 1–1.2 × ca. 1 mm. Fruit 5–6 × 4–6 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun–Aug. n = 11.

Widely cultivated in China [generally thought to be native to Europe; widely cultivated].

The root is rich in starch and sugar and is used as food (parsnip), animal fodder, and for wine making. The sap is liable to cause skin irritation by sensitizing skin to UV radiation.