Daucus carota - Origins and New Directions :: Botany

Daucus carota - Origins and New Directions Daucus carota (carrots) are one of the more commonly used vegetables in the western world. A member of the parsley family (Umbelliferae) which includes caraway, celery, dill, and parsnips, the history of the carrot is somewhat obscure. The potential for enhancing the nutritional value and consumption of carrots, however, may be very promising. Carrots are high in beta-carotene, an anti-oxidant carotenoid that is the carotenoid compound most readily converted to vitamin A when consumed by animals. Carrots likely originated in the near east and central Asia, from Afghanistan to northwest India, where they were probably cultivated for at least 3,000 years. Carrots may have originally become domesticated through the discarding of the propagating structures after the vegetative structures were consumed. The potential of the remains to continue growth is high. Therefore, it is possible that the disposal of these vegetable tops in garbage heaps may have allowed for colonization of the area and subsequent domestication (Rindos, 1984). Very early evidence of the consumption of carrots also has been found in prehistoric Swiss lake dwellings (Brothwell and Brothwell, 1969). The original wild-type carrots were thin, wiry, and varied in color from white to purple, but not the common orange that we see today. Wild-type carrots are also known as Queen Anne's Lace. The origin of the name is based upon an English legend. Supposedly, when the future Queen Anne arrived from Denmark to became the queen of King James I of England, wild carrot was still a novelty in the royal gardens. The legend states that Queen Anne challenged the ladies of the court to a contest to see who could produce a pattern of lace as lovely as the flower of the carrot. The ladies knew that no one could rival the queen's handiwork so it became a triumph for Anne (Haughton, 1978). Other common names for wild carrot are bird's-nest and devil's-plague. Mutations led to changes in the pigmentation. Both the purple and yellow-orange varieties migrated to the Mediterranean where they responded well to cultivation and selection (Brothwell and Brothwell, 1969). Carrots were recognized as one of the plants in the garden of the Egyptian king Merodach-Baladan in the eighth century B.C. The carrot's use was believed to to be limited during this time and throughout the rise of the Greek and Roman civilizations (Brothwell and Brothwell, 1969). Both the Greeks and the Romans were believed to have used carrots for medicinal purposes (Herfruit S.