Caraway (Carum carvi)

Caraway (Carum carvi) is a plant species in the Apiaceae family. It is an herbaceous plant, reaching a height of 20–30 cm, with delicate, feathery leaves composed of thin, thread-like segments. The flowering stems grow to 30–60 cm tall, bearing small white or bright red flowers arranged in compound inflorescences known as umbels. Each umbel consists of 5–16 flower stalks, measuring 1–6 cm in length.

C. carvi produces fruits—informally referred to as "seeds"—that are crescent-shaped and laterally compressed. They are 3 mm long, feature five pale-colored ridges, and release a distinct, pleasant aroma when crushed. The seeds have a pungent yet sweet flavor, making them a key spice in various culinary dishes.

The seeds contain 10% water, 50% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and 15% fat. In a 100-gram serving, the seeds provide 20% or more of the daily value for protein, B vitamins (24–33%), and vitamin C (25%), as well as several dietary minerals—notably iron (125%), phosphorus (81%), and zinc (58%). When ground, the seeds yield up to 7.5% essential oil and 15% fat, with the primary fatty acids being oleic, linoleic, petroselinic, and palmitic acids.

Phytochemicals identified in caraway seed oil include thymol, *o*-cymene, γ-terpinene, trimethylene dichloride, β-pinene, 2-(1-cyclohexenyl)cyclohexanone, β-phellandrene, 3-carene, α-thujene, and linalool. These compounds are used medicinally to treat conditions such as urinary tract infections, digestive disorders, malaria, coughs, asthma, and fevers.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Subfamily: Apioideae
Tribe: Careae
Genus: Carum L. in Sp. Pl.: 263 (1753)
Species: Carum carvi L. in Sp. Pl.: 263 (1753)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Aegopodium carum Wibel in Prim. Fl. Werth.: 199 (1799)
Apium carvi (L.) Crantz in Stirp. Austr. Fasc. 3: 110 (1767)
Bunium carvi (L.) M.Bieb. in Fl. Taur.-Caucas. 1: 211 (1808)
Foeniculum carvi (L.) Link in Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 284 (1821)
Karos carvi (L.) Nieuwl. & Lunell in Amer. Midl. Naturalist 4: 385 (1916)
Ligusticum carvi (L.) Roth in Tent. Fl. Germ. 1: 124 (1788)
Pimpinella carvi (L.) Jess. in Deut. Excurs.-Fl.: 191 (1879)
Selinum carvi (L.) E.H.L.Krause in J.W.Sturm, Deutschl. Fl. Abbild., ed. 2. 12: 47 (1904)
Seseli carvi (L.) DC. in J.B.A.M.de Lamarck & A.P.de Candolle, Fl. Franç., éd. 3. 4(1): 285 (1805)
Sium carvi (L.) Bernh. in Syst. Verz. Erf.: 173 (1800)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Carum aromaticum Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 168 (1796)
Carum carvi f. gracile (Lindl.) H.Wolff in H.G.A.Engler (ed.), Pflanzenr., IV, 228(Heft 90): 148 (1927)
Carum carvi var. intermedium Rouy & E.G.Camus in G.Rouy & J.Foucaud, Fl. France 7: 357 (1901)
Carum carvi var. pterochlaenum DC. in Prodr. 4: 115 (1830)
Carum carvi f. pygmaeum Vacc. in Cat. Pl. Vall. Aoste: 294 (1904)
Carum carvi f. rhodochranthum A.H.Moore in Rhodora 11: 178 (1909)
Carum carvi subsp. rosellum (Woronow) Vorosch. in A.K.Skvortsov (ed.),
Florist. Issl. Razn. Raĭonakh SSSR: 184 (1985)
Carum carvi f. rubriflorum H.Wolff in Acta Horti Gothob. 2: 306 (1926)
Carum carvi var. vulgare Alef. in Landw. Fl.: 154 (1866)
Carum decussatum Gilib. in Fl. Lit. Inch. 2: 37 (1782)
Carum gracile Lindl. in J.F.Royle, Ill. Bot. Himal. Mts.: 232 (1835)
Carum officinale Gray in Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2: 515 (1821 publ. 1822)
Carum rosellum Woronow in Trudy Bot. Inst. Akad. Nauk S.S.S.R, Ser. 1, Fl. Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 1: 218 (1933)
Carum velenovskyi Rohlena in Věstn. Král. České Společn. Nauk. Tř. Mat.-Přír. 28(17): 34 (1903)
Carvi careum Bubani in Fl. Pyren. 2: 352 (1899)
Falcaria carvifolia C.A.Mey. in Beitr. Pflanzenk. Russ. Reiches 1: 14 (1844)
Lagoecia cuminoides Soy.-Will. in Phytologist 1: 254 (1841)
Pimpinella involucrata Jan ex DC. (1830)
Seseli carum Scop. in Fl. Carniol., ed. 2, 1: 215 (1771)
Sium carum F.H.Wigg. in Prim. Fl. Holsat.: 24 (1780)

PUBLICATIONS

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VERNACULAR NAME

Arabic: كروياء
Armenian: Քեմոն սովորական
Basque: Txarpoil
Belarusian: Кмен звычайны
Burmese: ကရဝေး
Catalan: Comí de prat
Chinese (simplified): 葛缕子
Chinese (traditional): 葛縷子
Croatian: Kim
Czech: Kmín kořenný
Danish: Kommen
Dutch: Karwij
English: Caraway, Meridian fennel, Persian cumin
Estonian: Harilik köömen
Faroese: Donsk kumman
Finnish: Kumina, Maustekumina
French: Carvi commun
Galician: Alcaravea
German: Kümmel, Wiesen-Kümmel
Greek: Άγριο κύμινο
Hindi: काला ज़ीरा - काला जीरा - स्याह ज़ीरा Kala zira, Kala jeera, Syah zira
Hungarian: Fűszerkömény
Icelandic: Kúmen
Indonesian: Jintan
Italian: Carvi, Cumino dei prati
Japanese: カルム - キャラウェイ - ヒメウイキョウ
Java: Jinten
Kannada: Shaha jeerige, Seeme sompu
Ladakhi: Kosnyot, Go-Snyod
Latvian: Pļavas ķimene
Lithuanian: Paprastasis kmynas
Marathi: Shahajire
Mongolian: Эгэл гоньд
Nepali: जंगली जिरा Jangali jira
Norwegian: Karve
Polish: Kminek zwyczajny
Portuguese: Alcaravia
Russian: Тмин обыкновенный
Sanskrit: Karavi, Karunjiraka
Slovak: Rasca lúčna
Slovenian: Navadna kumina
Spanish: Alcaravea
Swedish: Brödkummin, Kummin
Tamil: சிமை சோம்பு - சீமை பெருஞ்சிரகம் Chimai Chompu, Chimai perunchirakam
Telugu: కరం కర్వె
Thai: เทียนตากบ
Tibetan: ཟི་ར་ནག་པོ། Zi ra nag po
Turkish: Frenk Kimyonu, Geyik Zilesi, Karaman Kimyonu
Ukrainian: Кмин звичайний
Urdu: سیاہ زیرہ Syah zira

Aryo Bandoro
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