Wild Carrot, Queen anne's lace, Carrot, Wild Carrot, Queen Anne's Lace
Daucus carota
Family: Apiaceae or Umbelliferae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Purple, White. Main Bloom Time: Late summer. Form: Upright or erect.
Daucus carota is a BIENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Flies, beetles. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Cultivated and waste land, amongst grass, especially by the sea and on chalk.
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, China and eastern India.
Conservation Status: Status: Data Deficient
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Brazil, Britain, Bosnia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, East Africa, Ethiopia, Europe, Indochina, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Nigeria, North America, Norway, SE Asia, South America, Spain, Tasmania, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Root - cooked. Thin and stringy. The flower clusters can be french-fried to produce a carrot-flavoured gourmet's delight. The aromatic seed is used as a flavouring in stews etc. The dried roasted roots are ground into a powder and are used for making coffee.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Medicine
Rating: 3
The wild carrot is an aromatic herb that acts as a diuretic, soothes the digestive tract and stimulates the uterus. A wonderfully cleansing medicine, it supports the liver, stimulates the flow of urine and the removal of waste by the kidneys. The whole plant is anthelmintic, carminative, deobstruent, diuretic, galactogogue, ophthalmic, stimulant. An infusion is used in the treatment of various complaints including digestive disorders, kidney and bladder diseases and in the treatment of dropsy. An infusion of the leaves has been used to counter cystitis and kidney stone formation, and to diminish stones that have already formed. Carrot leaves contain significant amounts of porphyrins, which stimulate the pituitary gland and lead to the release of increased levels of sex hormones. The plant is harvested in July and dried for later use. A warm water infusion of the flowers has been used in the treatment of diabetes. The grated raw root, especially of the cultivated forms, is used as a remedy for threadworms. The root is also used to encourage delayed menstruation. The root of the wild plant can induce uterine contractions and so should not be used by pregnant women. A tea made from the roots is diuretic and has been used in the treatment of urinary stones. The seeds are diuretic, carminative, emmenagogue and anthelmintic. An infusion is used in the treatment of oedema, flatulent indigestion and menstrual problems. The seed is a traditional 'morning after' contraceptive and there is some evidence to uphold this belief. It requires further investigation. Carrot seeds can be abortifacient and so should not be used by pregnant women.
Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Contraceptive: Prevents fertilization occurring in females.
Deobstruent: Clears obstructions from the natural ducts of the body.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.
Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Urinary: Treats urinary problems, including urinary tract infection (UTI).
Other
Rating: 4
An essential oil obtained from the seed has an orris-like scent. It is used in perfumery and as a food flavouring. The oil has also been used cosmetically in anti-wrinkle creams.
Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife
Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Seashore. Prefers a sunny position and a well-drained neutral to alkaline soil. A good plant for the summer meadow, it is a food plant for caterpillars of the Swallow-tail Butterfly. This species is the parent of the cultivated carrot. It can act as an alternative host for pests and diseases of the cultivated carrots. The plant has become a pest weed in N. America, where it is spreading rapidly and crowding out native vegetation. The whole plant, when bruised, gives off an aniseed-like scent. Special Features: Edible, Not North American native, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is fleshy. Thick or swollen - fibrous or tap root .
Propagating it: Seed - sow August/September or April in situ. The seed germinates better if it is given a period of cold stratification.
Best place to grow: Meadow; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Biennial
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Carrots sometimes cause allergic reactions in some people. Skin contact with the sap is said to cause photo-sensitivity and/or dermatitis in some people. Daucus has been reported to contain acetone, asarone, choline, ethanol, formic acid, HCN, isobutyric acid, limonene, malic acid, maltose, oxalic acid, palmitic acid, pyrrolidine, and quinic acid. Reviewing research on myristicin, which occurs in nutmeg, mace, black pepper, carrot seed, celery seed, and parsley, Buchanan (J. Food Safety 1: 275, 1979) noted that the psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties of mace, nutmeg, and purified myristicin have been studied. It has been hypothesized that myristicin and elemicin can be readily modified in the body to amphetamines. Handling carrot foliage, especially wet foliage, can cause irritation and vesication. Sensitized photosensitive persons may get an exact reproduction of the leaf on the skin by placing the leaf on the skin for awhile, followed by exposure to sunshine.
Wild carrot, the progenitor of the cultivated carrot, is a biennial weed native to Europe, southwestern Asia and North Africa. Being a prolific seed producer, it can spread rapidly, and in its introduced range in North America and Australia it invades open grasslands, meadows, roadsides, abandoned fields, waste areas and degraded prairies, competing with and displacing native plants. A noxious weed in Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Washington, USA.
Its other names
Local names
Carrot, bird's nest; bishop's lace; Queen Anne's lace; wild carrot. Spanish: zanahoria. French: carotte. Arabic: gazar. Portuguese: cenoura-brava. Germany: Karotten; Mohren. Italy: carota selvatica. Japan: noraninjin. Netherlands: wilde peen. Sweden: vild morot. Also Divlja mrkva, Frustinaca agreste, Mrkvica.