Wild carrot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wild carrot
The umbel of a wild carrot
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Daucus
Species:	carota
Synonyms
List Ballimon maritimum (Lam.) Raf. Carota sativa (Hoffm.) Rupr. Carota sylvestris (Mill.) Lobel ex Rupr. Caucalis carnosa Roth Caucalis carota (L.) Crantz Caucalis daucus Crantz Caucalis gingidium (L.) Crantz Caucalis hispanica Crantz Caucalis pumila Willd. Daucus abyssinicus C.A.Mey. Daucus agrestis Raf. Daucus alatus Poir. Daucus allionii Link Daucus annuus (Bég.) Wojew., Reduron, Banasiak & Spalik Daucus asturiarum Barnadez ex Cutanda Daucus australis Guss. Daucus australis Kotov Daucus blanchei Reut. Daucus bocconei Guss. Daucus brevicaulis Raf. Daucus capillifolius Gilli Daucus carnosus Moench Daucus carota var. acaulis (Bréb.) P.D.Sell Daucus carota subsp. boissieri (Schweinf.) Hosni Daucus carota var. brachycaulos Reduron Daucus carota f. epurpuratus Farw. Daucus carota f. fischeri Moldenke Daucus carota var. fontanesii (Thell.) Reduron Daucus carota f. goodmanii Moldenke Daucus carota var. gummifer Syme Daucus carota var. linearis Reduron Daucus carota var. pseudocarota (Rouy & E.G.Camus) Reduron Daucus carota f. roseus Farw. Daucus carota f. roseus Millsp. Daucus carota var. tenuisectus (Degen ex Palyi) Reduron Daucus communis Rouy & E.G.Camus Daucus communis var. pseudocarota Rouy & E.G.Camus Daucus commutatus (Paol.) Thell. Daucus dentatus Bertol. Daucus drepanensis (Arcang.) Tod. ex Lojac. Daucus esculentus Salisb. Daucus exiguus Steud. Daucus foliosus Guss. Daucus gadecaei (Rouy & E.G.Camus) Rouy & E.G.Camus Daucus gibbosus Bertol. Daucus gingidium Georgi Daucus gingidium L. Daucus gingidium subsp. atlanticus Rivas Mart. Daucus gingidium subsp. commutatus (Prolongo) O.Bolòs & Vigo Daucus gingidium subsp. hispanicus (Gouan) O.Bolòs & Vigo Daucus gingidium subsp. majoricus (A.Pujadas) Mart.Flores, Juan, M.A.Alonso, A.Pujadas & M.B.Crespo Daucus gouanii Nyman Daucus gummifer All. Daucus gummifer Lam. Daucus gummifer var. acaulis Bréb. Daucus gummifer var. intermedius Corb. Daucus halophilus Brot. Daucus herculeus Pau Daucus heterophylus Raf. Daucus hispanicus Gouan Daucus hispidus Desf. Daucus hispidus Gilib. Daucus hispidus Mill. Daucus hispidus var. tenuisectus Degen ex Palyi Daucus jolensis Pomel Daucus kotovii M.Hiroe Daucus levis Raf. Daucus lucidus L.f. Daucus marcidus Timb.-Lagr. Daucus maritimus Lam. Daucus maritimus With. Daucus martellii Gand. ex Calest. Daucus masclefii Corb. Daucus matthiolii Bubani Daucus mauritanicus L. Daucus mauritanicus Salzm. ex DC. Daucus maximus Desf. Daucus micranthus Pomel Daucus montanus Schmidt ex Nyman Daucus nebrodensis Strobl Daucus neglectus Lowe Daucus nitidus Gasp. Daucus nudicaulis Raf. Daucus officinalis Gueldenst. ex Ledeb. Daucus paralias Pomel Daucus parviflorus Desf. Daucus polygamus Gouan Daucus polygamus Jacq. ex Nyman Daucus rupestris Guss. Daucus russeus Heldr. Daucus sativus (Hoffm.) Röhl. ex Pass. Daucus scariosus Raf. Daucus sciadophylus Raf. Daucus serotinus Pomel Daucus serratus Moris Daucus siculus Tineo Daucus strigosus Raf. Daucus sylvestris Mill. Daucus tenuissimus (A.Chev.) Spalik, Wojew., Banasiak & Reduron Daucus vulgaris Garsault Daucus vulgaris Lam. Daucus vulgaris Neck. Melanoselinum annuum (Bég.) A.Chev. Melanoselinum tenuissimum A.Chev. Peltactila hispida Raf. Peltactila parviflora (Desf.) Raf. Platyspermum alatum (Poir.) Schult. Thapsia annua (A.Chev.) M.Hiroe Thapsia tenuissima (A.Chev.) M.Hiroe Tiricta daucoides Raf. Tornabenea annua Bég. Tornabenea tenuissima (A.Chev.) A.Hansen & Sunding

Daucus carota, whose common names include wild carrot, 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 was naturalized in the New World.

Domesticated carrots are cultivars of a subspecies, Daucus carota subsp. sativus.

Description

Inflorescences and foliage

Flowers (worm's-eye view)

Fruit cluster containing oval fruits with hooked spines

The wild carrot is a herbaceous, somewhat variable biennial plant that grows between 30 and 120 cm (1 and 4 ft) tall, 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, 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. They may be pink in bud and may have a reddish or purple flower in the centre of the umbel. The lower bracts are three-forked or pinnate, which distinguishes the plant from other white-flowered umbellifers. As the seeds develop, the umbel curls up at the edges, becomes more congested, and develops a concave surface. The fruits are small, dry, bumpy, oval and flattened, with short styles and hooked spines, as well as protective hairs surrounding it. The fruit has two mericarps, or bicarpellate. The endosperm of the fruit grows before the embryo. The dried umbels detach from the plant, becoming tumbleweeds. The function of the tiny red flower, coloured by anthocyanin, is to attract insects. The flowers bloom from May to September.

Similar in appearance to the deadly poison hemlock, D. carota is distinguished by a mix of tripinnate leaves, fine hairs on its solid green stems and on its leaves, a root that smells like carrots, and occasionally a single dark red flower in the center of the umbel. Hemlock is also different in tending to have purple mottling on its stems, which also lack the hairiness of the plain green Queen Anne's lace (wild carrot) stems. Both plants have been spread into North America by European settlers and are now common wildflowers there.

Function of the dark central florets

The function of the central dark florets of D. carota has been subject to debate since Charles Darwin speculated that they are a vestigial trait. It has been suggested that they have the adaptive function of mimicking insects, thus either discouraging herbivory, or attracting pollinators by indicating the presence of food or opportunities for mating. 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, who are similar to the florets in size and shape produced similar results to those observations of inflorescences with intact florets.

Taxonomy

The carrot was first officially described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 work Species Plantarum. In 2016, an international team sequenced the full genome of Daucus carota.

Subspecies

Cultivated carrot's only parent is Daucus carota.

Both domestic and wild carrot are from the same species, Daucus carota L. There are several subspecies of D. carota that have evolved to different climates and atmospheres. Two examples of these subspecies are specifically from the Netherlands. D. carota subsp. sativus has roots that can be a wide range of colors. 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. D. carota subsp. carota has white roots that do not vary in color 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 color of the flower can vary from red to deep purple.

Subtaxa

The following subtaxa are accepted:

Distribution and habitat

Native to temperate regions of Europe and southwest Asia, the plant was spread to North America and Australia.

The plant is commonly found along roadsides and in unused fields. It thrives best in sun to partial shade.

Toxicity

Skin contact with the foliage of Daucus carota, especially wet foliage, can cause skin irritation in some people. It may also have a mild effect on horses.

The compound falcarinol is naturally found in Daucus carota for protection against fungal diseases. Lab tests show the compound to be toxic to mice and the water flea Daphnia magna. Normal consumption of carrots has no toxic effect in humans.

Uses

Like the cultivated carrot, the D. carota root is edible while young, but it quickly becomes too woody to consume. The flowers are sometimes battered and fried. The leaves and seeds are also edible.

D. carota bears a close resemblance to poison hemlock, and the leaves of the wild carrot may cause phytophotodermatitis, so caution should also be used when handling the plant. ..... If used as a dyestuff, the flowers give a creamy, off-white color.

D. carota, when freshly cut, will draw or change color depending on the color of the water in which it is held. This effect is only visible on the "head" or flower of the plant. Carnations also exhibit this effect. This occurrence is a popular science demonstration in grade school.

Beneficial weed

This beneficial weed 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; however, where it has been introduced, it attracts very few wasps. In northeast Wisconsin, when introduced with blueberries it did succeed in attracting butterflies and wasps. 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. However, the states of Iowa, Michigan, and Washington have listed it as a noxious weed, and it is considered a serious pest in pastures. It persists in the soil seed bank for two to five years.

Taste

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.

Culture

Daucus carota was introduced and naturalized in North America, where it is often known as Queen Anne's lace. Both Anne, Queen of Great Britain, and her great-grandmother, Anne of Denmark, are taken to be the Queen Anne for whom the plant is named. It is so called because the flower resembles lace, prominent in fine clothing of the day; the red flower in the center is said to represent a droplet of blood where Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle when she was making the lace.

History through artwork

The history of Daucus carota and its cultivation in different parts of the world can be traced back through historical texts and artwork. Paintings from the 16th and 17th century, for example, that are of maids in a market or farmers' most recent crops can provide information on carrots' history. Studying such paintings shows that yellow or red roots were cultivated in Turkey, North Africa, and Spain. Orange roots were cultivated in 17th century Netherlands.

See also

In Spanish: Daucus carota para niños

• Daucus pusillus, American wild carrot