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Wild parsnip is a biennial that was introduced to North America by the earliest European colonists, it is documented to have been grown in Virginia as early as 1609 as a food crop. In his 1913 book The Weed Flora of Iowa, L. H. Pammel described wild parsnip as ‘common on roadsides in every part of Iowa.’ Thus, this weed is not new to our state. I think it is safe to say that populations in roadsides and other low-maintenance areas of Iowa have gradually increased over the past 30 years.