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parsnip


parsnip

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Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa).—G.R. Roberts

Plant (Pastinaca sativa) of the parsley family, cultivated for its large, tapering, fleshy, edible white root, which has a distinctive, sweet flavour and is usually served as a cooked vegetable. At the end of summer the solids of the root consist largely of starch, but a period of low temperature changes much of the starch to sugar. The root is hardy and not damaged by hard freezing of the soil. Native to Britain, Europe, and temperate Asia, the parsnip has become extensively naturalized in North America.

This entry comes from Encyclopædia Britannica Concise.
For the full entry on parsnip, visit Britannica.com.

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