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Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)

Daucus carota is an herbaceous plant with a taproot. It is mainly biennial, although sources describe its life cycle differently.

LightFull sun is best, though Daucus carota can also adapt to partial shade.
WaterWell-drained conditions are preferred, and mature plants can cope with alternating wet and dry conditions.
TemperatureIt is reported to have an RHS hardiness rating and is generally described as frost hardy.
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Wild Carrot illustration

Overview

Daucus carota is an herbaceous plant with a taproot. It is mainly biennial, although sources describe its life cycle differently.

Origin and habitat

Daucus carota is native across a broad area of the Old World, including Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia, although sources differ on the precise boundaries in Asia and the Mediterranean region. It occurs in grassland, waste ground, roadsides, old fields, cultivated land, and coastal or cliff habitats, as well as various human-disturbed environments. It is mainly associated with temperate regions and has become widely naturalized outside its native range.

Characteristics

Sources differ on mature height, giving a range of about 30–150 cm; a single source reports a mature spread of about 10–50 cm. The leaves are alternate and deeply divided or pinnate, with an oblong to triangular outline and a finely divided, lacy appearance; the leaves and stems are often coarsely hairy. Small flowers form white compound umbels; buds may be pink, a dark red, purplish-red, or nearly black-purple central floret is often present, and the bracts beneath the inflorescence are often divided or pinnate. Sources differ on the flowering period, with summer described as the main flowering season; the fruit is reported to be a dry, somewhat flattened, ovate to elliptic schizocarp with spines or hooked prickles and hairs.

Light

Full sun is best, though Daucus carota can also adapt to partial shade.

Watering

Well-drained conditions are preferred, and mature plants can cope with alternating wet and dry conditions.

Temperature and dormancy

It is reported to have an RHS hardiness rating and is generally described as frost hardy.

Growing medium and mounting

Daucus carota suits well-drained chalk, loam, or sandy soil; it prefers neutral to alkaline conditions but has some adaptability to soil type and pH.

Common problems

It is reported to serve as an alternative host for pests of cultivated carrots. It is reported to serve as an alternative host for diseases of cultivated carrots. It can spread aggressively and is regarded as invasive in some regions, although sources differ; its long taproot can also make established plants harder to remove.

Identification

Daucus carota has solid, green, hairy stems, finely divided leaves, and a root with a carrot-like smell; its white umbels often have a single dark red or purple central floret and conspicuously divided bracts beneath the inflorescence.

Photos

Daucus carota
📷 User:Tigerente · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Daucus carota
📷 Zeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Daucus carota
📷 Eleftherios Katsillis, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploade · CC BY · source

Sources