Pastinaca (parsnips) is a genus of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, comprising 14 species. Economically, the most important member of the genus is Pastinaca sativa, the parsnip.
The etymology of the generic name Pastinaca is not known with certainty. The name may be derived from the Latin 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".[1][2]
For comparison, The Plant List, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), and the National Plant Germplasm System (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 L. Only one of those names (Pastinaca sativa L.) is accepted by all three naming authorities.