carrot family science factsheet

8/8/2019 Carrot Family Science Factsheet

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THE CARROT FAMILY Science PageAPIACEAE (ORUMBELLIFEREAE)The name Umbellifereae comesfrom the Latin word meaningumbrellas. Plants in the carrotfamily have flowers that look likelittle umbrellas.

DID YOU KNOW?Some members of thecarrot family, suchas wild parsnip andgiant hogweed, canburn your skin. With

the help of ultravioletlight from the sun,chemicals found in thegreen leaves, stems,and fruits of theseplants can break downskin tissue, make theskin red, and causeblisters.

MEMBERS OF THE CARROT FAMILYThere are more than 3,000 species in the carrot family.

Some have strongunique flavors andsmells, and are usedas herbs and spices.

Many have roots, stems,or leaves that are used asvegetables. Some contain

nutrients, such as beta carotene,that are important in the humandiet.

Others arepoisonous.

dill

caraway

fennel

devils dung

dill

anise

coriander/cilantro

parsley

culantro

carrot

parsnip

celery

lovage

angelica

poisonhemlock

gianthogweed

earthchestnut

arracacha

celeriac

Garden Mosaics is funded by the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education program, and bythe College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.

www.gardenmosaics.org

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Maybe youtouched wild

parsnip or giant

hogweed a day orso ago. Your skinwill stop hurtingsoon, but it maystay discolored

for a while.

Look at myskin! These

blistershurt!


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Carrot Family Card GameDIRECTIONS

Print each clue and its answer onto a separate card. Print the carrot family cards back-to-back soeach plant picture is on one side and its description is on the other. Cut out the clue cards and thecarrot family cards. To make the cards last longer, they may be laminated.

Spread out all the carrot family cards with the plant pictures facing up. Shuffle the clue cards andput them face down in a pile.

The object of the game is to collect as many carrot family cards as you can. The player with themost cards at the end of the game is the winner.

The first player picks a clue card and reads the clue on the card. The player to the right has achance to pick the correct plant card to answer the question on the clue card. He or she picks upthe plant card and reads the back to see if it is the correct card. If it is the correct card, the playerkeeps it. If not, the plant card is replaced, and the clue card goes to the bottom of the clue cardpile. Then the player who got a chance to choose a plant card picks the next clue card. Play thegame until all the plant cards are gone. Then each player counts his or her plant cards to see whois the winner.

Variation: Each player uses the information on the plant cards to make up questions to try tostump other players.

CLUE CARDS

Worldwide, the most popular member of thecarrot family.Answer: carrot

Grew around the ancient town of Marathon inGreece.Answer: fennel

Dried gum from the root is used as a seasoning.Answer: devils dung

Ancient Greeks made a poison drink out of thisplant to execute prisoners.Answer: poison hemlock

Once thought to have angelic healing powers.Answer: angelica

Used to flavor a liquor known as akavit inScandinavia.Answer: caraway

One of the most popular flavorings in ancientRoman cooking.Answer: lovage

Leaves used in funeral ceremonies in ancientGreece.Answer: parsley

Leaves smell like cilantro, only stronger.Answer: culantro

Children in England used to dig up the roots fora treat on their way to and from school.Answer: earth chestnut

Important root crop in Central and SouthAmerica.Answer: arracacha

The green-stemmed variety of this plantis popular in the United States, while theEuropeans prefer the yellow-stemmed variety.Answer: celery

Root vegetable that has leaves which can causea skin rash.

Answer: parsnip

In the nineteenth century, candied seeds fromthis plant were called sugar plums.Answer: cilantro/coriander

Invasive weed that causes a skin rash.Answer: giant hogweed

Name comes form the Old Norse word meaningcalm.Answer: dill

In ancient Rome, used in cakes that were eaten

at the end of a meal to aid digestion.Answer: anise

Popular in Europe for its tough, bulb-like roots,which must be peeled before being eaten.Answer: celeriac


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Carrot Family CardsCARROT

Daucus carotaPARSLEY

Petroselinum crispumLOVAGE

Levisticum officinale

ARRACACHAArracacia xanthorrhiza

CARAWAYCarum carvi

ANGELICAAngelica archangelica

FENNELFoeniculum vulgare

DEVILS DUNG ORASAFETIDA

Ferula asa-foetida

POISON HEMLOCKConium maculatum


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MOREABOUTSOME

MEMBERSOFTHE

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CARROT

DaucuscarotaWorldwide,carrotsarethemostpopularmemberofthisfamily.WhitecarrotsarenativetoEurope,redcarrotsarenativetoCentralAsia,andyellowandpurplecarrotsarenativetowhatisnowcalledAfghanistan.Carrotshavemore betacarotene,fromwhichthebody

makesvitaminA,thananyothervegetables.

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CARROTDaucus carota

Worldwide, carrots are the mostpopular member of the Apiaceaefamily. White carrots are nativeto Europe, red carrots are nativeto Central Asia, and yellow and

purple carrots are native to whatis now Afghanistan. Carrots havemore beta carotene, from whichthe body makes vitamin A, thanany other vegetables.

PARSLEYPetroselinum crispum

In ancient Greece, parsley wasused in funeral ceremonies andin wreaths given to winningathletes. The tangy, sweet-tasting leaves are used dry,

raw, or diced to flavor manydifferent dishes. Parsley is animportant part of the MiddleEastern tabbouleh salad. TheJapanese deep-fry parsley intempura batter. In Belgium andSwitzerland parsley is deep-fried as a side dish for fondu.Mexicans and Spaniards useparsley in salsa verde. TheFrench add parsley to a garlicand butter sauce eaten withescargots (snails). The Englishmake parsley jelly.

LOVAGELevisticum officinale

Lovage was one of the mostpopular flavorings in ancientRoman cuisine. The roots areused as a vegetable. Powders

and oils are extracted from theroots and used for flavoring. Thecelery-flavored leaves and leafstalks are used in salads, soups,and stews. Lovage seeds areused to flavor candies, cakes andmeat dishes.

ARRACACHAArracacia xanthorrhiza

Arracacha is an importantroot crop in South and CentralAmerica. It was first grown inthe Andes Mountains. Over time,growers improved the crop, sothat todays varieties have large,smooth, fleshy roots. One planthas four to six carrot size roots.Its flavor is similar to that ofparsnips and carrots. Roots areboiled, baked, and fried. They canbe eaten whole, mashed, or madeinto fried chips. Arracacha chipshave crispness, so many people

like them more than potato chips.Arracacha roots also can bedried and powdered, and used ininstant foods, such as soups andbaby food. Also used to make analcoholic drink called chicha.

CARAWAYCarum carvi

Caraway is a popular spicein Central Europe. It hasantiflatulent power (this meansit counteracts digestive gas!).The spicy seeds and seed oilsare used for flavoring cookies,cakes, cheese, and rye bread.The seeds and oils are also usedin candy, meats, pickles, anddrinks. Caraway-flavored liquor,known as kummel or akavit, isproduced and drunk in NorthernGermany and Scandinavia.In Tunisia, caraway is used in

harissa, a fiery paste made ofdried chiles.

ANGELICAAngelica archangelica

People once thought that angelicahad angelic healing powers.The roots can be boiled andused as a vegetable. The oils,extracted from the roots andseeds, are used to flavor candiesand alcoholic drinks like gin andvermouth. The oils are also usedin perfumes and soaps.

FENNELFoeniculum vulgare

Ancient Greeks called fennelmarathon. This plant grewaround the village of Marathon,which was the site of a famousbattle. During the battle, a Greeksoldier ran from Marathon to

Athens. This distance became thelength of the Olympic marathonrace. Fennel seeds, flowers, andleaves have a strong anise flavor.Snipped leaves are used as agarnish or to make tea. The bulb-like stalk can be eaten like celery.The seeds are used to flavorbaked goods, cheese, and variousmeat and vegetable dishes.

DEVILS DUNG ORASAFETIDA

Ferula asa-foetidaDevils dung has a strong bitter,sharp, stinging odor. Its leavesare used as a potherb. Driedgum from the root is a powerfulseasoning. It is popular in

southern India for flavoring fishand vegetable dishes such as dal(name for beans, peas, lentils,and other legumes). Devilsdung is used for its antiflatulentaction (this means it counteractsdigestive gas!). It is one of theingredients in Worcestershiresauce.

POISON HEMLOCKConium maculatum

Over 2,300 years ago, Greeksmade a drink out of poisonhemlock to execute prisoners.Socrates, a famous Greekphilosopher, was judged to bean enemy of the people. He was

sentenced to death and drank apotion made ofpoison hemlock.


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More Carrot Family CardsGIANT HOGWEED

Heracleum mantegazzianumPARSNIP

Pastinaca sativaCORIANDER/CILANTRO

Coriandrum sativum

CELERYApium graveolens var. dulce

ANISEPimpinella anisum

DILLAnethum graveolens

CELERIAC OR ROOTCELERY

Apium graveolens var.rapaceum

EARTH CHESTNUTConopodium majus

CULANTROEryngium foetidum

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GIANT HOGWEEDHeracleum mantegazzianumThis weed grows up to 4.5-6 m(15-20 ft) high, the leaves areup to 1.5 m (5 ft) wide, and theflowers are up to 76 cm (2.5 ft)across. It is native to the Caucasus

Mountains and southwesternAsia. It was introduced to Europeand North America as a gardencuriosity, but it is a very invasiveplant. It quickly out-competesnative species by forming a densecover, which shades out otherplants. Because it has a weak rootsystem, it can lead to erosion whenit grows beside stream banks. It isbecoming a health hazard in citiesand towns where it is taking over.Its sap makes skin more sensitiveto the sun. You can develop severesunburn with a rash and blistersafter touching this plant.

PARSNIPPastinaca sativa

The parsnip is native to Italy.Stone Age people in centralEurope harvested parsnip fromthe wild. It was common inkitchen gardens in Ancient Rome.

By the mid-1800s, it was popularin Europe and the United States.Today, parsnip is not so popularin the U.S., but it is still verypopular in England and France,where the roots are used in soupsand stews. The plant exudes a

juice that causes severe skinrashes on many people. Whenpicking the plant, always weargloves and wash your handsafterwards.

CORIANDER/CILANTROCoriandrum sativum

The herb cilantro and the seedcoriander come from the sameplant. It is native to southernEurope and the Mediterranean.It is one of the oldest spices in

recorded history, and was used aslong as 7,000 years ago. Cilantrois used in Latin America andsoutheast Asia to flavor salads,soup, and meats. Coriander isused as a spice in European,Indian, and Middle Easterndishes. Candied coriander seeds,popular in the 19th century, werecalled sugar plums.

CELERYApium graveolens

var. dulceCelery is popular in NorthAmerica, where the green-stemmed variety is used, andin Europe, where the yellow-stemmed variety is more popular.The celery capital of the ancientworld was a city in Sicily calledSelinunt, meaning celery city.Their coins had pictures of celeryon them. Celery leaves were usedin ceremonies for the god Linus,the creator of music. Until the

Middle Ages, celery leaves wereonly used as a medicine. It wasnot until the 17th century thatpeople began using celery as avegetable.

ANISEPimpinella anisum

Anise is native to theMediterranean. In ancient Rome,a cake called mustaceum waslaced with anise. It was served atthe end of all major feasts, andmay have been the first weddingcakes. It was not only a sweettreat, but also an aid to digestion.Today, people all over the worldenjoy the sweet licorice flavor ofanise leaves. It is used fresh anddried in salads, soups, and forgarnish. In Scandinavia it is usedin breads and in India in curries.Hispanic people use it in stewsand the French use it to flavorcarrots

DILLAnethum graveolens

Native to southern Europe andwestern Asia, dill has beenused since 3,000 B.C. Dill seedsand leaves were widely usedin ancient Egypt, Greece, andRome. The name comes fromthe Old Norse word dillameaning calm. It was used torelieve stomach pain from gas inbabies. Today, the sweet tasteof dill is popular all over Europeand Asia. In Europe it is mostlyused for bread, pickles and fish,and in sauces and dressings.Fresh dill weed is very popular inScandinavia, where it is used toflavor fish and shellfish. In Indiadill seeds are used to flavor lentiland bean dishes.

CELERIAC OR ROOTCELERY

Apium graveolens var.rapaceum

Root celery is grown for its bulb-like, light brown roots instead offor its stems or leaves. The rootis about 10-12 cm (3-4 inches)

in diameter and has a celery-likeflavor. It is also called turniprooted celery or knob celery. Itwas first grown in Europe, whereit is still very popular. The rootmust be peeled, because it isvery tough. It can be eaten raw,but it is usually cooked in soupsor stews, or sliced and servedwith salt, pepper, and vinegar.

EARTH CHESTNUTConopodium majus

This plant has a round, brownroot that looks and tastes like achestnut. It grows wild in woodsand fields throughout muchof Europe and North Africa. InEngland, children used to dig

them up for a snack on their wayto and from school. Pigs loveearth chestnuts, which is whythey are sometimes called pignuts. In Shakespeares play TheTempest, Caliban promises,

I prithee, let me bring theewhere crabs grow;and with my long nails I will digthee pig nuts.

CULANTROEryngium foetidum

Native to tropical America andthe West Indies, culantro smellslike cilantro, only stronger. Theleaves are used to flavor food inLatin America, the Caribbean,and the Far East. In Latin

America, it is added to salsa andsofrito. In Thailand and Malaysia,chopped culantro is sprinkled ontop of soups, noodle dishes, andcurries.


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