Source: Wikipedia
| Daucus carota | |
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| The umbel of a wild carrot | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Apiaceae |
| Genus: | Daucus |
| Species: | D. carota
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| Binomial name | |
| Daucus carota | |
| Infraspecific taxa | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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List
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Daucus carota, whose common names include wild carrot,[3][4] European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World and is naturalised widely elsewhere.[2] Carrots cultivated as a food crop are cultivars of one of the subspecies, Daucus carota subsp. sativus.
Description
[edit]The wild carrot is a herbaceous, somewhat variable biennial plant that grows to 30–100 cm (1–3 ft), rarely 120 cm (4 ft) tall,[4][5][6] and is roughly hairy, with a stiff, solid stem. The leaves are tripinnate, finely divided and lacy, and overall triangular in shape. The leaves are 5–15 cm (2–6 in) long,[6] bristly and alternate in a pinnate pattern that separates into thin segments. The flowers are small and dull white, clustered in flat, dense umbels. The umbels are terminal and about 8–15 cm (3–6 in) wide.[7][6] They may be pink in bud and may have one (rarely a few) pink, reddish or purple flower (the "ruby") in the centre of the umbel.[3] There are 7–13 bracts below the umbel; these are three-forked or pinnate, which distinguishes the plant from other white-flowered umbellifers.[4] As the seeds develop, the umbel curls up at the edges, becomes more congested, and develops a concave surface. The fruit is a small, dry, bumpy, oval and flattened carpel 2.5–4 mm long, with short styles and hooked spines, as well as protective hairs surrounding them;[4][8][7] it is bicarpellate, with two mericarps. Its endosperm grows before the embryo.[9] The dried umbels can detach from the plant, and have been suggested to have tumbleweed characteristics.[10][better source needed] The function of the tiny red flower, due to anthocyanin, is to attract insects. The flowers are mainly produced from June to August,[3][4] rarely also in May or September.[7][6]
Identification
[edit]D. carota is similar in appearance to the deadly poison hemlock, but is readily distinguished by a mix of tripinnate leaves, fine hairs on its solid green stems and its leaves, a root that smells like carrots, and often a single red flower in the centre of the umbel.[11][12] Hemlock also differs in having purple mottling on its stems, which also lack the hairiness of the plain green wild carrot stems.[13]
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Rarely, there may be more than one red central flower -
Fruit cluster containing oval fruit with hooked spines
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Function of the dark central floret
[edit]The function of the central dark floret of D. carota has been subject to debate since Charles Darwin speculated that it is vestigial.[14] Some have suggested that it has the adaptive function of mimicking insects, thus either discouraging herbivory[15] or attracting pollinators[16] by indicating the presence of food or opportunities for mating.[17] One study in Portugal found that the dark florets contributed to visitation by the varied carpet beetle Anthrenus verbasci, and that higher numbers of dark florets correlated with increased visitation, whereas inflorescences without dark florets had fewer visits. Replacing the dark florets with one or more freeze-killed A. verbasci, which are similar to the florets in size and shape, produced similar results to observations of inflorescences with intact florets.[18]
Taxonomy
[edit]The carrot was first officially described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum.[19] In 2016, an international team sequenced the full genome of Daucus carota.[20]
Subspecies
[edit]The cultivated carrot derives from the wild carrot; both are the same species Daucus carota L.[21]
Several subspecies of D. carota have evolved in different climates. D. carota subsp. sativus has roots that can be a wide range of colours. It has a thicker root and sweeter taste. The whorl of barbs above the spine on the vallecular ridges of the mericarp of D. carota subsp. sativus mature very well.[clarification needed] D. carota subsp. carota has consistently white roots, and, unlike D. carota subsp. sativus, has a thin root, bitter taste and are not edible. The middle umbellet of D. carota subsp. carota is not well developed (unlike in D. carota subsp. sativus) and the centre flower varies from red to deep purple.[22]
Subtaxa
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The following subtaxa are accepted:[2]
- Daucus carota var. abyssinicus A.Braun — Eritrea and Ethiopia
- Daucus carota subsp. annuus (Bég.) Mart.Flores, D.M.Spooner & M.B.Crespo — Cape Verde
- Daucus carota subsp. azoricus Franco — Azores
- Daucus carota subsp. cantabricus A.Pujadas — Spain
- Daucus carota subsp. capillifolius (Gilli) Arbizu — northern Libya
- Daucus carota subsp. caporientalis Reduron — Corsica
- Daucus carota subsp. carota — wild carrot; widespread
- Daucus carota subsp. commutatus (Paol.) Thell. — Portugal & western Mediterranean area
- Daucus carota subsp. corsoccidentalis Reduron — Corsica
- Daucus carota subsp. drepanensis (Arcang.) Heywood — western & central Mediterranean area
- Daucus carota subsp. fontanesii Thell. — western Mediterranean area
- Daucus carota subsp. gadecaei (Rouy & E.G.Camus) Heywood — northwestern France
- Daucus carota subsp. gummifer (Syme) Hook.f. — sea carrot; Britain and Denmark south to Portugal and Spain. Restricted to coastal sites;[23] shorter, but stouter, and densely hairy, stems, fleshy leaves, and often larger, denser, more globose flowerheads.[3][24]
- Daucus carota subsp. halophilus (Brot.) A.Pujadas — central and southern Portugal
- Daucus carota subsp. hispanicus (Gouan) Thell. — western & central Mediterranean area
- Daucus carota subsp. major (Vis.) Arcang. — southern Europe, Turkey
- Daucus carota subsp. majoricus A.Pujadas — Balearic Islands
- Daucus carota subsp. maritimus (Lam.) Batt. — Macaronesia, Mediterranean
- Daucus carota subsp. maximus (Desf.) Ball — Canary Islands, Mediterranean east to Pakistan
- Daucus carota var. meriensis Reduron — Corsica
- Daucus carota subsp. otaportensis Reduron — Corsica
- Daucus carota subsp. rupestris (Guss.) Heywood — Malta, Sicily
- Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Schübl. & G.Martens — cultivated carrot; originated in Turkey, cultivated globally
- Daucus carota subsp. tenuissimus (A.Chev.) Mart.Flores, D.M.Spooner & M.B.Crespo — Cape Verde (Santo Antão, Fogo)
- Daucus carota subsp. valeriae Reduron — Corsica
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Daucus carota is native to temperate regions of Europe, northern Africa (south to Ethiopia), southwestern and eastern Asia;[2] it has also been introduced to and become naturalised in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. It is commonly found in meadows, along roadsides and in unused fields. It thrives best in sun to partial shade.[7]
Toxicity
[edit]Like many other species of Apiaceae, the leaves of the wild carrot may cause phytophotodermatitis; skin contact with the foliage, especially wet foliage, can cause skin irritation in some people, so caution should be used when handling the plant.[25][26][27][26] It may also have a mild effect on horses.[28]
The compound falcarinol is naturally found in Daucus carota for protection against fungal diseases. Laboratory tests show the compound is toxic to mice and to the water flea Daphnia magna.[29] Normal consumption of carrots has no toxic effect in humans.[30]
Uses
[edit]Like the cultivated carrot, the wild carrot root is edible while young, but quickly becomes too woody to consume.[citation needed] The flowers are sometimes battered and fried. The leaves and seeds are also edible.[7]
The seeds and flowers have been used as a method of contraception and an abortifacient for centuries, but scientific research has not confirmed any such effects and there is no evidence of safety.[31] If used as a dyestuff, the flowers give a creamy, off-white colour.
Association with other plants
[edit]This species can be used as a companion plant to crops. Like most members of the umbellifer family, it attracts wasps to its small flowers in its native land, but where it has been introduced, it attracts very few wasps. In northeast Wisconsin, it did succeed in attracting butterflies and wasps when introduced with blueberries.[32] This species is also documented to boost tomato plant production when kept nearby, and it can provide a microclimate of cooler, moister air for lettuce, when intercropped with it.[33] But Iowa, Michigan, and Washington have listed it as a noxious weed,[34] and it is considered a serious pest in pastures. It persists in the soil seed bank for two to five years.[35]
Taste
[edit]Several different factors can cause the root of a carrot to have abnormal metabolites (notably 6-methoxymellin) that can cause a bitter taste in the roots. For example, carrots have a bitterer taste when grown in the presence of apples. Also, ethylene can easily produce stress, causing a bitter taste.[36]
Culture
[edit]Wild carrot has been introduced into North America by European settlers and has become common; it is often known as "Queen Anne's lace" there. Anne, Queen of Great Britain is the queen after whom the plant is reputedly named, though as a plant name it is not known before 1895, 180 years after her death.[37] It is so called because the inflorescence resembles lace, prominent in fine clothing of the day; the red flower in the centre is said to represent a droplet of blood where Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle when she was making the lace.[38]
History through artwork
[edit]The history of Daucus carota and its cultivation in different parts of the world can be traced through historical texts and artwork. Paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries, for example, of maids in a market or farmers' most recent crops can provide information on carrots' history. Such paintings show that yellow or red roots were cultivated in Turkey, North Africa, and Spain. Orange roots were cultivated in 17th-century Netherlands.[39]
References in poetry
[edit]"Queen Anne's Lace" is the title and subject of a poem by William Carlos Williams in his 1921 collection Sour Grapes.
See also
[edit]- Daucus pusillus, American wild carrot
References
[edit]- ^ Collett, L., Korpelainen, H., Draper Munt, D., Labokas, J., Magos Brehm, J., Tavares, M., Eliáš, P., Strajeru, S., Smekalova, T. & Bulińska, Z. 2011. Daucus carota. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T172210A6849906. Downloaded on 2 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Daucus carota L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d Blamey, Marjorie; Grey-Wilson, C. (1 January 1989). The Illustrated Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. London: Lubrecht & Cramer Limited. p. 286. ISBN 0-340-40170-2.
- ^ a b c d e Streeter, David (2010). Flower Guide. London: Collins. p. 358. ISBN 978-0-00-718389-0.
- ^ "Ontario Weeds: Wild carrot". Archived from the original on 20 December 2006.
- ^ a b c d Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
- ^ a b c d e "Daucus carota". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ McClintock, David; Fitter, R. S. R. (1956). The Pocket Guide to Wild Flowers. Collins. p. 103.
- ^ Wurtele, E S; Wang, H; Durgerian, S; Nikolau, B J; Ulrich, T H (May 1993). "Characterization of a gene that is expressed early in somatic embryogenesis of Daucus carota". Plant Physiology. 102 (1): 303–312. doi:10.1104/pp.102.1.303. PMC 158776. PMID 8108498.
- ^ Faulkner, Herbert Waldron (1917). The Mysteries of the Flowers. Frederick A. Stokes. p. 210.
- ^ "Noxious weeds: Poison-hemlock". King County, Washington.
- ^ Hemlock Poisoning at eMedicine
- ^ Garms, Gabe (2 July 2015). "How to Tell the Difference Between Poison Hemlock and Queen Anne's Lace". Raven's Roots.
- ^ Darwin, Charles. The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species. --. London: JMurray, 1877.
- ^ Detto, C. "Blutenbiologische Untersuchungen, I. Uber Die Beteutung Der Insektenahnlichkeit Der Ophrysblute Nebst Bemerkungen Uber Die Mohrenblute Dei Daucus Carota". Flora, Jena 94 (1905): 287–329.
- ^ Rothschild, M. "Some Observations on the Relationship between Plants, Toxic Insects and Birds". In Phytochemical Ecology, edited by J.B. Harborne, 1–12. London: Academic Press, 1972.
- ^ Yeo, P.F. (December 1972). "Miscellaneous notes on pollination and pollinators". Journal of Natural History. 6 (6): 667–686. Bibcode:1972JNatH...6..667Y. doi:10.1080/00222937200770621.
- ^ Goulson, David; Mcguire, Kate; Munro, Emma E.; Adamson, Susan; Colliar, Louise; Park, Kirsty J.; Tinsley, Matthew C.; Gilburn, Andre S. (August 2009). "Functional significance of the dark central floret of Daucus carota (Apiaceae) L.; is it an insect mimic?". Plant Species Biology. 24 (2): 77–82. doi:10.1111/j.1442-1984.2009.00240.x.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carolus (1753). Species Plantarum (in Latin). Vol. 1. Stockholm: Laurentii Salvii. p. 242.
- ^ "Carrot Genome Sequenced". 9 May 2016.
- ^ Banga, O. (February 1957). "Origin of the European cultivated carrot". Euphytica. 6 (1): 54–63. doi:10.1007/BF00179518. S2CID 39884390.
- ^ Baranski, Rafal; Maksylewicz-Kaul, Anna; Nothnagel, Thomas; Cavagnaro, Pablo F.; Simon, Philipp W.; Grzebelus, Dariusz (February 2012). "Genetic diversity of carrot (Daucus carota L.) cultivars revealed by analysis of SSR loci". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 59 (2): 163–170. doi:10.1007/s10722-011-9777-3.
- ^ "Sea Carrot Daucus carota subsp. gummifer (Syme) Hook.f." PlantAtlas. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ Seawright, Jenny. "Sea Carrot, Daucus carota subsp gummifer". Dorset nature. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ Phytophotodermatitis~clinical at eMedicine
- ^ a b "Don't touch these plants! Six lookalikes you want to avoid". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
- ^ "Daucus carota". hort.purdue.edu. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- ^ LLC, HorseDVM. "Queen anne's lace Poisoning in Horses". HorseDVM.
- ^ Crosby, D.G.; Aharonson, N. (January 1967). "The structure of carotatoxin, a natural toxicant from carrot". Tetrahedron. 23 (1): 465–472. doi:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)83330-5. PMID 6037290.
- ^ Deshpande (2002). Handbook of Food Toxicology. Hyderabad, India: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8247-0760-6.
- ^ Jansen, Gabrielle Claire; Wohlmuth, Hans (January 2014). "Carrot seed for contraception: A review". Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine. 26 (1): 10–17.
- ^ Laurie Neverman (24 June 2017). Queen Anne's Lace – Butterfly Host Plant and Blueberry Protector.
- ^ Philbrick, Helen; Gregg, Richard B. (1 August 1966). Companion Plants and How to Use Them. Devin-Adair Publishing Company. p. 58. ISBN 978-0815952107. OCLC 2323470.
Lettuce likes strawberries, is aided by the presence of carrots and makes radishes tender in summer.
- ^ "Plant Profile – Daucus carota L. (Queen Anne's lace)". USDA. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
- ^ Clark, D. L.; Wilson, M. V. (1 May 2003). "Post-dispersal seed fates of four prairie species". American Journal of Botany. 90 (5): 730–735. doi:10.3732/ajb.90.5.730. PMID 21659169.
- ^ Coxon, David T.; Curtis, R.Frank; Price, Keith R.; Levett, Gordon (August 1973). "Abnormal metabolites produced by Daucus carota roots stored under conditions of stress". Phytochemistry. 12 (8): 1881–1885. Bibcode:1973PChem..12.1881C. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)91505-X.
- ^ "Queen Ann's Lace". Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ^ Saara Nafici (21 August 2014). "Weed of the Month: Queen Anne's Lace". Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
- ^ Zeven, A. C.; Brandenburg, W. A. (October 1986). "Use of paintings from the 16th to 19th centuries to study the history of domesticated plants". Economic Botany. 40 (4): 397–408. Bibcode:1986EcBot..40..397Z. doi:10.1007/BF02859650. S2CID 24391862.
Further reading
[edit]- Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing – via Project Gutenberg.
- Bradeen, James M.; Simon, Philipp W. (2007). "Carrot". In Cole, Chittaranjan (ed.). Vegetables. Genome Mapping and Molecular Breeding in Plants. Vol. 5. New York, New York: Springer. pp. 162–184. ISBN 978-3-540-34535-0.
- Clapham, A. R.; Tutin, T. G.; Warburg, E. F. (1962). Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press.
- Mabey, Richard (1997). Flora Britannica. London: Chatto and Windus.
- Rose, Francis (2006). The Wild Flower Key (edition revised and expanded by Clare O'Reilly). London: Frederick Warne. ISBN 978-0-7232-5175-0.
- Rubatsky, V.E.; Quiros, C.F.; Siman, P.W. (1999). Carrots and Related Vegetable Umbelliferae. CABI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85199-129-0.
External links
[edit]
- Connecticut Botanical Society Archived 29 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine
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