Daucus carota

Daucus carota (carrot) — a hardy root crop first domesticated in Central Asia, where early types were purple and yellow; the sweet orange carrot was popularised by Dutch growers. The botanical home of our carrot range.

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Daucus carota — the carrot

Daucus carota is the botanical name for the carrot, a hardy biennial in the carrot family (Apiaceae) that is almost always grown as an annual for its sweet, crunchy root. It is the species behind our whole carrot range within the root vegetable collection.

History & origin

The cultivated carrot traces back to Persia and Central Asia — the region of modern Afghanistan — where the first domesticated roots, grown well over a thousand years ago, were purple and yellow rather than orange. From there carrots spread west through the Arab world and into Europe by the Middle Ages, and east into China and Japan.

The familiar deep-orange carrot is a relatively recent arrival: it was selected and popularised by Dutch growers in the 16th and 17th centuries, refined from yellow stock into the sweet, vitamin-rich root we know today — part of the reason the carrot remains so closely tied to the Netherlands. Its wild ancestor, also known as Queen Anne's lace, still grows across Europe and Asia and shows where all that feathery carrot foliage comes from.

Botanical characteristics

Grown for its swollen taproot, Daucus carota forms a feathery rosette of leaves in its first year and, if left in the ground, sends up a lacy white flower umbel in its second. Roots vary enormously: quick round and stump-rooted types for shallow soils and pots, long maincrops for storing, and a rainbow of colours from orange to purple, yellow, red and white. Their sweetness comes from sugars that build as the root matures, often improving after a touch of autumn cold. Quick early carrots feature among our fast-growing vegetables, while short types thrive in our container range.

Growing Daucus carota from seed

Carrots are always sown direct where they are to grow — they resent transplanting, which causes forked, misshapen roots. Sow thinly into light, stone-free, un-manured soil and keep it evenly moist for steady growth. Their one real enemy is carrot fly, so sow sparingly to avoid thinning, and grow under fine mesh or alongside onions to throw the pest off the scent. Our soil guide explains how to get the fine tilth carrots love, while the vegetable sowing calendar shows the windows for successional sowing from spring to late summer.

Ready to grow carrots? Browse the varieties or read up first.

Related categories: Carrot · Root Vegetables · Beetroot · Parsnip · All Vegetables

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Daucus carota?
It is the botanical name for the carrot, a biennial root vegetable in the carrot family (Apiaceae).

Where do carrots originate?
From Persia and Central Asia — around modern Afghanistan — where the earliest cultivated roots were purple and yellow.

Why are carrots orange?
The sweet orange carrot was selected and popularised by Dutch growers in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Is the carrot annual or biennial?
It is a biennial, but it is grown as an annual and harvested for its root in the first year.

How do I grow carrots from seed?
Sow direct into light, stone-free soil and never transplant them; keep them evenly watered.