Daucus Species, American Wild Carrot, Rattlesnake Weed

Here’s my review of the little carrot with potential...

Daucus pusillus/American wild carrot/Rattlesnake weed unofficial...Read More review.

Overview:
The American wild carrot is a species of carrot that is native the entire Pacific Northwest, Southwest and Southern United States, along with British Columbia, CA.
Despite how widespread this edible plant is, there is little to no information on it, besides the fact that it is a plant that exists and is related to the more common wild carrot, Queen Anne’s Lace. Daucus Pusillus was eaten raw and cooked by the native Americans, chewed up herbage of the plant was also used for treating snakebites.

Edibility:
To get to the root of the American wild carrot, you must dig around and under the base of plant, that way you’re able to freely pull the entire root of the plant, the size of the root (carrot) ranges from the size of the plant itself, they are typically small and look absolutely nothing like a domesticated carrot that we all know.
Once you cut the carrot from the plant and clean it off, give it a smell, you might notice that it smells like a carrot, who would have thought?
Now it’s cooking time! Grab a pot, throw your carrots in, submerge carrots in water, add a little salt, and bring to a boil.

I let my carrots boil for about an hour, the exterior became completely soft and the inside of the carrot got a little softer, after straining my carrots, I cut them up and put them on a plate. Now here’s where the unofficial taste test of Daucus Pusillus comes in... I ate a bite of skin of the carrot, the first thing it tasted like was, surprisingly, a carrot, very standard carrot taste that we all know, after swallowing it left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth that lingered for a while, and that’s about it..
Taste wise I give these carrots a 4/10, due to the bitter taste that I’m sure can be improved on.
Overall rating is about 5/10 because they’re cool little carrot dude that are literally growing everywhere, with a little help these boiz could be bangin.

American wild carrot (Daucus pusillus) is also known as rattlesnake weed and southwestern Carrot and is a plant that grows natively in ma...Read Moreny states. It is considered a noxious weed by many.

In Texas, it can be found growing in the South Texas Plains and the Edwards Plateau regions on barrens, meadows, plains, dry hills, roadsides, streambanks and waste areas. It is not picky about soil types. Simple to few-branched and erect, it grows 2 to 3 feet tall and its roots have a characteristic carrot odor. The leaves are fern-like and lacy (alternate, pinnate and compound). The stems are retrorsely-hispid (covered in rigid or bristly hairs that are directed back or downwards). The leaves are eaten by white-tailed deer.

It blooms March or April through June/July. The flat to cupped, 1 1/4 to 2 inch wide flowerhead is composed of several tiny, white, 5-petalled, 5-staminated flowers gathered in a compound umbel. They do not have a red or purplish central flower that is characteristic of Queen Ann's lace (Daucus carota). The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and is self-fertile; however, they are pollinated by beetles and flies as well. The flowers are subtended by sturdy, lacy bracts (modified leaves) which support them (and later the fruit). The bracts may be longer than the flower cluster is wide. The flowers are not long lasting and begin turning into fruit quite quickly. The oblong fruit (seed pods) each have two rows of stiff bristles.

The root is edible either raw or cooked (see caution below). The plant is thought to be an antipruritic and blood purifier. It has been used to treat colds, itches and fevers. It obtained the common name "rattle snake weed" because a poultice of the chewed plant has been used to treat to snakebites. Recent studies have indicated that it may be a cancer preventative.

Cautions:
If the sap contacts the skin of some people, dermatitis and/or photo-sensitivity can occur. The taproot and the leaves are easily confused with poison hemlock (conium maculatum which is one of the most deadly poisonous wild flowering plants. I would be very careful about eating wild carrot as food.

Basically a roadside weed for this part of the world. The flowers are interesting to watch open, but in a garden setting it will seed its...Read Moreelf everywhere and the long taproot make it hard to pull out.