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Wild carrot

Daucus carota

Bird's nest, Bishop's lace, Queen Anne's lace (USA)

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Daucus carota is the wild form of the commonly cultivated carrot. It is commonly known by the names wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace in North America. Domesticated carrots have the latin name Daucus carota ssp. sativus, these have evolved from wild carrot, Daucus carota and are now extensively grown worldwide. Domestication is thought to have occurred in China, over 1000 years ago. Historically purple, yellow and red carrots were the only forms to be cultivated before the 15-16th century. It is only in modern times that we expect carrots to be orange. Daucus carota is a herbaceus biennial plant from the carrot family, Apiaceae and it produces a characteristic edible taproot. This ranges in size, shape and colour across different varieties. Purple, white and yellow carrots are commonly grown for consumption along with the orange domesticated carrot. Typically it grows between 30-60cm tall, producing finely divided, hairy foliage which has a lacy appearance, foliage is broadly triangular in shape and alternately arranged on stems. Flowers are arranged in flattened structures called umbels, these measure approximately 8-10cm across. An umbel is a cluster of stems which radiate from a central point, producing flowers on stalks of roughly equal length, to form a flattened or slightly rounded, horizontal surface of flowers. They are white in colour and umbel arrangements are characteristic of the carrot family, Apiaceae. Blooms may open from pinkish buds and sometimes have a red or purple flower in the centre of the umbel. Flowering occurs from mid-summer through to autumn and wild carrot is known to support a huge range of pollinating insects including butterflies, bees, beetles and hoverflies. This plant is a good choice for informal borders and wildflower gardens. Flowers lead onto flattened, oval fruits which are covered in hooked spines. After flowers are spent, the umbel dries up, detaches from the plant and becomes tumbleweed.

Explore 7 descendants

Carrot 'Cape Market'

Daucus carota subsp. sativus 'Cape Market'

Carrot 'Chantenay Karoo'

Daucus carota subsp. sativus 'Chantenay Karoo'

Carrot 'Cosmic Purple'

Daucus carota subsp. sativus 'Cosmic Purple'

Planning

Difficulty

Moderate

Flowering time

Spring, Summer

Fruiting time

Spring, Summer

Harvesting

Carrots mature at around 2-4 months. Harvest when the desired maturity is reached. To store freshly harvested carrots, twist off the tops, scrub off the dirt under cold running water, let dry and seal in an airtight plastic bag.

Propagation

Seed

Readily self seeds.

Special features

Pot plant

Choose a container at least 20 cm deep to allow the roots to grow.

Crop rotation

Can be used in a rotation as the root crop that follows the leaf crop.

Geography

Origin

Europe and Central Asia.

Natural climate

Mediterraenean

Environment

Light

Full Sun, Partial Sun

Soil moisture

Dry

Soil type

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand, Compost

Soil PH preference

Neutral, Alkaline

Frost hardiness

Hardy

Uses

Medicinal

Believed by the Ancient Greeks to be a stomach tonic, it is still widely used in health drinks or juices, particularly for its high levels of vitamins (particularly vitamins A and E).

Edible

The taproot and the leaves are edible and used raw, cooked or preserved.