''Pastinaca'' (
parsnips) is a genus of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
Apiaceae
Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plan ...
, comprising 14 species. Economically, the most important member of the genus is ''
Pastinaca sativa
The parsnip ('' Pastinaca sativa'') is a root vegetable closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long taproot has cream-colored ski ...
'', the parsnip.
Etymology
The
etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
of the generic name ''Pastinaca'' is not known with certainty. The name may be derived from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word ''pastino'' (or ''pastinare''), meaning "to prepare the ground for planting of the vine" (or more simply, "to dig") or the Latin word ''pastus'', meaning "food", liberally translated as "Earth-food".
Taxonomy
For comparison,
The Plant List, the
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is an American partnership of federal agencies designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagenc ...
(ITIS), and the
National Plant Germplasm System
The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) is a network of institutions and agencies (federal, state and private) led by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the effort to conserve and facilitate t ...
(NPGS) recognize 6, 1, and 16 species in the genus ''Pastinaca'', respectively.
In summary, 19 species names are accepted by at least one naming authority. Of those, 13 names are uncontested by some other authority.
The following names are accepted by two or more naming authorities: ''
Pastinaca hirsuta'' Pančić, ''
Pastinaca lucida'' L., and ''
Pastinaca sativa
The parsnip ('' Pastinaca sativa'') is a root vegetable closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long taproot has cream-colored ski ...
'' L. Only one of those names (''Pastinaca sativa'' L.) is accepted by all three naming authorities.
References
External links
*
Apioideae
Apiaceae genera
{{Apiaceae-stub