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Giant 6 foot tall weed - please can you help identify

2

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  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Wild carrot has white flowers.  @Big Blue Sky - did you grow parsnips last year?  If so, this could be a cultivated parsnip in its second year.  If not, I'd go with wild parsnip too.  They have trouble with it in some American states:

    https://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants/pestmanagement/weedcontrol/noxiouslist/wildparsnip


    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Big Blue SkyBig Blue Sky Posts: 716
    Having looked it up I now too think it is wild parsnips - it matches all descriptions and signs. When I crushed a leaf I felt slight burning sensation on my fingers which also seems to be one of the main characteristics (washed it immediately with soap and water).
    So it definitely has to go immediately. I shall post a picture of the stem after cutting. 
    Surrey
  • AsarumAsarum Posts: 661
    I'm glad this has been identified.  I used to work in a garden where it was part of the display, which is how I knew it.
    East Anglia
  • Big Blue SkyBig Blue Sky Posts: 716
    As promised, pictures of the stem. 




    So glad I asked for identification - the plant is invasive and toxic for the skin. I knew something that grows so vigorously can’t be anything good 🤔

    Thank you everybody for your contributions, they all helped a lot xx
    Surrey
  • AsarumAsarum Posts: 661
    Well as the parsnips we eat are bred from this it can't be that bad!  Afterall, rhubarb leaves are poisonous if we eat them.
    East Anglia
  • Joy*Joy* Posts: 571
    It's Angelica. It makes a huge plant if you let it go. It grows best from fresh seed and it will seed itself wherever it can find a bit of soil. Ours grew between the paving! You candie the stems to decorate cakes. Commercial seed is very difficult to germinate.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    @Joy*  It's the wrong type of umbel for angelica, which is more spherical. I agree with the parsnip diagnosis.
  • Joy*Joy* Posts: 571
    @Fire you're right about it not being Angelica as I've just seen the picture of the cut stem. Angelica is round in cross section.
  • cuilchickcuilchick Posts: 1
    There's an app called "LeafSnap", which you can download from Playstore (android), that can help identify plants. Compares photos on your device with their database and gives you possibles.  App may be available in non android...don't know for sure.
  • katiewisbykatiewisby Posts: 1
    Wild parsnip for sure. 
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