16. Daucus L. (carrot)

Plants annual or biennial. Stems erect or ascending, sparsely to densely pubescent with spreading to recurved, broad-based, stiff hairs. Leaves alternate and sometimes also basal (1 or a few basal leaves often present at flowering), short- to long-petiolate (mostly short-petiolate above the base), the sheathing bases not or only slightly inflated. Leaf blades oblong to triangular-ovate in outline, 2–4 times pinnately compound and/or dissected, the ultimate leaflets or segments linear to lanceolate, short-tapered to a sharp point at the tip, the margins entire or few-toothed or -lobed, sparsely to moderately hairy, especially along the margins and veins. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, compound umbels, long-stalked, the stalks moderately to densely pubescent with mostly recurved, broad-based, stiff hairs. Involucre of 4–15 bracts, these shorter than to more commonly longer than the rays, leaflike, pinnately 1–2 times dissected with linear segments, rarely entire, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Rays mostly numerous, roughened or hairy, the innermost ones shorter than the outer ones, the umbels thus appearing more or less flat-topped at flowering. Involucel of 5–13 bracts, these shorter than to more commonly slightly longer than the rays, entire or less commonly pinnately few-lobed toward the tip, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Flowers 5–20 in each umbellet, the stalks roughened, unequal in length. Sepals absent or consisting of minute triangular teeth. Petals obovate, notched into 2 unequal lobes at the tip, those of the outermost flowers in some umbels often somewhat enlarged, white or rarely pink, sometimes drying yellow, the innermost flower of each umbellet usually with a dark purple or rarely pink corolla. Ovaries hairy. Fruits oblong-elliptic to oblong-ovate in outline, flattened dorsally, brown, each mericarp with 5 inconspicuous primary ribs, these slender, nervelike, brown, lacking wings, hairy, and also with 4 secondary ribs between the primary ones, these, slender, straw-colored, prominently winged, the wing margins with a row of flattened bristles having pointed or minutely barbed or hooked tips. About 60 species, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia; introduced nearly worldwide.