Wild Parsnip Threat Overstated, Horticulture Expert Says
(CBS) -- You might have seen the pictures on TV: People afflicted with a rash caused by exposure to a weed called wild parsnip, which supposedly is spreading in the Midwest.
It's in ditches and by the side of the road and near bike trails.
And if the sap from the yellow-flowering weed gets on your skin – and if you don't wash it off -- it can cause a rash and blisters when your skin is exposed to the sun. It's phototoxic.
But, for most people, "I wouldn't lose sleep over the wild parsnip," says Laura Ekasetya, head horticulturist at Lurie Garden in Millennium Park.
"I think that if you are out working in your garden for any extended period of time, you would be wearing long sleeves and gloves," she says.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says wild parsnip is a non-native plant. A DNR spokesman says gloves and long sleeves are a good idea anytime you're working outside.