Daucus carota subsp. sativus

Carrot is a common vegetable-garden plant with lacy, pinnately compound leaves. Each leaflet is finely dissected, and the entire leaf is triangular in outline. The leaves all originate from the base of the plant and stand 1-2 ft tall. If left in the ground for a second growing season, carrots will produce flowers. The tiny white flowers are arranged in showy compound umbels, typical of the carrot family, that stand a foot or so above the leaves. The tapered taproot is the carrot we eat, and can be 2-36 in long, depending on the variety and the growing conditions.The carrot probably was developed in Afghanistan from the wild Queen Anne's lace (D. carota var. carota), which is native to Asia and Europe and widely naturalized in North America.