Identifying Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)

Take great care when identifying wild plants and fungi, this blog is not a resource to be taken by itself and further resources will be linked. Consult other sources and double check. While foraging is an extremely rewarding and useful skill, numerous common plants and fungi can make you sick or kill you. Be absolutely sure of what you’re eating and, when gathering, ensure you leave enough not only to ensure the survival and growth of the species but also enough for others to enjoy, from the human and more-than-human communities. Also cultivate an awareness of contamination and pollution – wastewater runoff, spraying, exhaust fumes – as this should affect your decision to harvest.

The Plant

Daucus carota is a flowering biennial plant in the Apiaceae family. It is native to Asia and Europe but has since spread prolifically as a “weed” and as certain cultivars throughout the Americas, Australia, and Aotearoa. Wild carrot is named after it’s tap root, as it looks, tastes, and smells like a carrot only a much paler colour. Both the genus name, Daucus, and the species name, carota, are both the Ancient Greek and Latin words for “carrot”. Wild carrot is also commonly called Queen Anne’s Lace which comes from the story of Queen Anne, who was an expert lace maker, who pricked her finger while creating lace and left a drop of blood behind (wild carrot flowers have a purple/red flower in the centre of their white umbels).

Description

Wild carrot begins it’s first year by growing a basal rosette of leaves and forming a deep tap root. They then form erect, hollow, stiff haired stems which grow 60 to 120cm tall, sometimes branching. The leaves are pinnate and arranged alternately along the stem, they are slightly feathery looking. The leaf tops are smooth and the underside and veins have short hairs. The umbel flower heads are made up of many small five petalled flowers and in the centre there is a generally one to five dark purple/red flowers. Underneath the flowers are forked leaf bracts. The flowers can be self or insect pollinated and once that occurs the umbels curl inwards and produce many oval seeds covered in hooked hairs. These are dispersed by wind or by attaching themselves to animals. The root of wild carrot looks carrot like but possibly more warped depending on the soil and is generally a pale cream colour. The roots are woody and fibrous.

Ecology

I have come across Daucus carota growing wild all over Aotearoa, especially along riverbanks, roadsides, and in meadows, fields, gardens, and parks. Some people plant certain cultivars of wild carrot as a decorative flower but they are by and large just considered an “invasive” species in places they are not native. They are very tolerant of poor soil and drought. Wild carrot flowers from spring until early autumn.

Nutritional & Medicinal Information

Wild carrot roots are very high in sugar (second only to beetroots) and so have been used as a sweetener for many years and in many cultures.

Wild carrots most notable medicinal use is as a contraceptive and abortifacient. The ground seeds brewed as a tea and taken regularly can prevent unwanted pregnancies, induce menstruation, and also act similarly to the morning-after pill but instead of blocking the fertilisation of the egg they prevent the fertilised egg from attaching to the uterine wall. As such, wild carrot should avoid being consumed if pregnant or breastfeeding.

Wild carrot seed oil is used for urinary tract infections and digestive problems. They are also a diuretic and stimulant.

Possible Lookalikes

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) looks very similar to wild carrot and is incredibly poisonous. One way to tell the difference is that wild carrot has hairy green stems while poison hemlock has smooth stems, generally with purple blotches/spots/discolouration. Poison hemock grows much taller than wild carrot and while it has small white flowers they grow in small clumps on separate branchlets. Wild carrot stems/leaves/roots smell carroty while poison hemlock smells disgusting. If you cannot correctly identify wild carrot then it is best to avoid this plant.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) looks similar to wild carrot also and thankfully yarrow leaves and flowers are edible, though should also be avoided if pregnant. Yarrow leaves are much finer and featherier than wild carrot. Yarrow is also much shorter and the white flowers are slightly bigger, do not have the purple centre flower, and the umbels tend to be less uniformly rounded and large.

Interesting Facts

Wild carrot is the ancestor of the orange eating carrots we consume today. The orange carrot was first cultivated in the Netherlands in the 17th century.

The sap contained in the stems and leaves of wild carrot can cause phytophotodermatitis. When the sap is on your skin and exposed to UV rays from the sunlight this can result in severe blistering, skin irritation, and even blindness if it comes in contact with your eyes. Best to always harvest using gloves.

Storage & Cooking

Wild carrot roots are best harvested while the plant is young (just ensure correct identification), though the roots are available all year round. The roots are often woody and fibrous but can sometimes be blended into soups. The roots can be boiled in soups, stews, and teas and then removed to provide a sweet, carroty flavour. The roots can also be dried and ground and used as a coffee substitute.

Wild carrot flower umbels are often battered and deep fried into golden, crispy fritters. The flowers are also used to infuse jellies and other desserts.

Wild carrot seeds are often dried and sometimes ground and used as a spice or in breads and baking. The leaves can be used raw in salads or cooked into soups and stews.

Enjoy my fellow foragers!

Further Reading

New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

The Spruce

Specialty Produce

Museum of Contraception and Abortion

WebMD