Parsnip Identification: Telling apart golden Alexanders, yellow pimpernel and poison parsnip 

Article and Photos by Dan Carter, The Prairie Enthusiasts Ecologist
June 1, 2026

Two native yellow-flowering plants of prairies, savannas, and oak woods that are sometimes confused with parsnip (or poison parsnip, Pastinaca sativa) are golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) and yellow pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima).

Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

Golden Alexanders has lower leaves that are divided into leaflets arranged along two or three orders of branching (they are 2 to 3 times compound), and its leaflets have serrated edges. 

Yellow pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima)

Yellow pimpernel also has lower leaves that are divided into leaflets and 2 to 3 times compound), but the edges of the leaflets are not serrated. They are smooth (or entire). 

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

Parsnip has leaves throughout that are divided into leaflets, but they are all arranged along a single axis without any secondary or tertiary branching like golden Alexanders and yellow pimpernel, or for that matter other native yellow plants in the carrot family like prairie parsley (Polytaenia nuttallii) and meadow parsnip (Thaspium trifoliatum). 

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The Prairie Enthusiasts is an accredited land trust that seeks to ensure the perpetuation and recovery of prairie, oak savanna, and other fire-dependent ecosystems of the Upper Midwest through protection, management, restoration, and education. In doing so, they strive to work openly and cooperatively with private landowners and other private and public conservation groups. Their management and stewardship centers on high-quality remnants, which contain nearly all the components of endangered prairie communities.