Wild carrot (Daucus carota)

Wild carrot (Daucus carota) is a plant species in the Apiaceae family—an erect, annual or biennial herb that reaches a height of 50 cm during its vegetative stage and up to 150 cm when in bloom. It possesses a fleshy taproot that is straight and conical to cylindrical in shape, measuring 5–50 cm in length and 2–5 cm in diameter at the base; the root may be orange, reddish-purple, yellow, or white.

The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, with alternate leaves along the flowering stem; they are 2–3-pinnate and lack stipules. The petioles are long, with bases that form a sheath, and both the petioles and the rachis are hairy. The leaf blades are divided into ultimate leaflets that range from oblong to lanceolate or linear in shape.

The inflorescence is a terminal compound umbel consisting of numerous rays of unequal length, which contract tightly as the fruit develops. There are 7–13 involucral bracts, which are pinnatipartite or pinnatisect with linear segments. The flowers are typically bisexual, though male flowers may also be present. Often, a few sterile, dark purple flowers—measuring 2 mm in diameter—are found in the center of the umbel; the floral parts are 5-merous. The pedicels are 0.5–1.5 cm long. The calyx has small teeth or is entirely absent. The petals are distinct (free), white or bright red, and are often larger in the flowers located at the periphery of the umbel. The stamens are distinct. The ovary is inferior, covered in coarse hairs, and consists of two locules with two styles.

The fruit is an oblong-ovoid schizocarp, 2–4 mm long, which splits into two mericarps upon maturity, each containing a single seed. The primary ribs are ciliate, while the secondary ribs are equipped with hooked spines. Germination is epigeal. The taproot is long and slender. The hypocotyl measures 0.5–1.5 cm, and there is no epicotyl. The cotyledons are linear and leaf-like in appearance. The first true leaves are pinnate.

D. carota grows in tropical regions at elevations above 1,200 meters, where soil temperatures remain below 25°C. It requires well-drained, fertile, sandy-textured soil with a pH of 6.0–6.5, a regular water supply, and a dry climate with an average daily temperature below 20°C.

The swollen taproot serves as a vegetable. It is consumed either raw or cooked, eaten on its own or combined with other vegetables. Larger, coarser roots are also used as livestock feed. Young leaves can be eaten raw or used as animal fodder. The fruits are used to treat tapeworms, while an essential oil derived from the seeds serves as a flavoring agent. Carotene is extracted from the roots to color margarine and is also added to poultry feed to alter the color of egg yolks.

The edible portion of the root is 87%. Per 100 g, the root contains 88.8 g of water, 126 kJ (30 kcal) of energy, 0.7 g of protein, 0.5 g of fat, 6.0 g of carbohydrates, 2.4 g of dietary fiber, 34 mg of calcium (Ca), 9 mg of magnesium (Mg), 25 mg of phosphorus (P), 0.4 mg of iron (Fe), 0.2 mg of zinc (Zn), 5.33 mg of carotene, 0.04 mg of thiamin, 0.02 mg of riboflavin, 0.2 mg of niacin, 28 μg of folate, and 4 mg of ascorbic acid.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Subfamily: Apioideae
Tribe: Scandiceae
Subtribe: Daucinae
Genus: Daucus L. in Sp. Pl.: 242 (1753)
Species: Daucus carota L. in Sp. Pl.: 242 (1753)
Subspecies:
Daucus carota subsp. annuus (Bég.) Mart.Flores, D.M.Spooner & M.B.Crespo
Daucus carota subsp. azoricus Franco
Daucus carota subsp. cantabricus A.Pujadas
Daucus carota subsp. capillifolius (Gilli) Arbizu
Daucus carota subsp. caporientalis Reduron
Daucus carota subsp. carota
Daucus carota subsp. commutatus (Paol.) Thell.
Daucus carota subsp. corsoccidentalis Reduron
Daucus carota subsp. drepanensis (Tod. ex Arcang.) Heywood
Daucus carota subsp. fontanesii Thell.
Daucus carota subsp. gadecaei (Rouy & E.G.Camus) Heywood
Daucus carota subsp. gummifer (Syme) Hook.f.
Daucus carota subsp. halophilus (Brot.) A.Pujadas
Daucus carota subsp. hispanicus (Gouan) Thell.
Daucus carota subsp. major (Vis.) Arcang.
Daucus carota subsp. majoricus A.Pujadas
Daucus carota subsp. maritimus (Lam.) Batt.
Daucus carota subsp. maximus (Desf.) Ball
Daucus carota subsp. otaportensis Reduron
Daucus carota subsp. rupestris (Guss.) Heywood
Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Schübl. & G.Martens
Daucus carota subsp. tenuissimus (A.Chev.) Mart.Flores, D.M.Spooner & M.B.Crespo
Daucus carota subsp. valeriae Reduron
Variety:
Daucus carota var. abyssinicus A.Braun
Daucus carota var. meriensis Reduron

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Caucalis carota (L.) Crantz in Cl. Umbell. Emend.: 113 (1767)
Daucus communis subsp. carota (L.) Rouy & E.G.Camus in G.Rouy & J.Foucaud, Fl. France 7: 234 (1901)

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VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Geelwortel, Wilde geelwortel, Wortel
Arabic: جزر بري
Belarusian: Морква дзікая
Bulgarian: Див морков
Catalan: Fonollassa, Pastanaga borda
Chinese (simplified): 胡萝卜 - 野胡萝卜
Chinese (traditional): 胡蘿蔔 - 野胡蘿蔔
Crete: Σταφυλίνακας
Croatian: Divlja mrkva, Divlja šargarepa, Korenje, Kuzmorika, Merlin, Mrkev, Mrkva, Mrkva žuta, Mrkvac, Mrkvač, Mrkvjelina, Obična mrkva
Czech: Mrkev obecná
Danish: Gulerod, Vild gulerod
Downriver Halkomelem: xewuq
Dutch: Peen
English: Wild carrot, Queen Anne's lace, Bishop's lace, European wild carrot, Bird's nest, Carrot flower
Estonian: Metsporgand
Filipino: Karot
Finnish: Aitoporkkana
French: Carotte commune, Carotte sauvage, Carottes, Carottes communes, Daucus carotte
Galician: Cenoria
German: Möhre, Rüebli, Wilde Möhre
Greek: Άγριο καρότο - Δαύκος ο Καρώτος - Σταφυλίνακας
Hebrew: גזר קיפח
Hindi: जंगली गाजर - गजर Jangli gajar, Gajar
Hungarian: Vadmurok
Indonesia: Wortel liar, Wortel, Wortel hutan
Irish: Mealbhacán
Italian: Carota
Japanese: ノラニンジン
Kannada: Gajjari, Gaajara, Gajaru, Manjal mulangi
Kazakh: Сәбіз
Khmer: ការ៉ុត Karôt
Korean: 산당근
Latvian: Savvaļas burkāns
Lekwungen: séʔkʷəq
Lithuanian: Paprastoji morka
Malaysia: Boktel
Manipuri: Gajar
Marathi: Gajar
Nepali: गाजर झार Gajar jhar
Nooksack: Sháweq
Norwegian: Gulrot
Ojibwe: Manidoo-okaadaak
PNG: Karot, Yalow pela sayor
Polish: Marchew zwyczajna
Portuguese: Cenoura, Cenoura-brava
Romanian: Morcov sălbatic
Russian: Морковь дикая
Sanakrit: Gajar, Dindiramodaka, Gajara, Gajida, Garijara
Santali: ᱜᱟᱡᱚᱨ
Serbian: Divlja šargarepa - Дивља шаргарепа
Sinhala: කැරට්
Slovak: Mrkva obyčajná
Slovenian: Navadno korenje
Spanish: Pasto zanahoria, Zanahoria, Zanahoria Silvestre
Swedish: Morot
Tamil: கேரட் கலுங் - கஜ்ஜரக்கிளங்கு - கரட்டுக்கிழங்கு Carrot kalung, Gajjarakkilangu, Karttukkilangu
Telugu: Gajjara-gedda
Thai: แคร์รอต
Turkish: Yabani Havuç
Ukrainian: Морква звичайна
United States: Queen Anne's lace
Urdu: گاجر Gajar
Welsh: Moronen y maes

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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