Citation: L. Sp. Pl. 242 (1753).

Derivation: Greco-Latin daucus, a name probably applied to several umbelliferous plants.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Annual or biennial hispid herbs; leaves 2- or 3-pinnate.

Umbels terminal, compound; involucral bracts absent or several, entire, or usually pinnatisect; sepals small or absent; petals white, yellowish or purplish, obovate, emarginate, 2-lobed, with an inflexed apex, the outer often radiate.

Fruit oblong-ovoid, cylindrical or dorsally slightly compressed, usually spinous and enveloping the stylopodium and styles with spines; mericarps with 5 filiform ciliate primary ribs and 4 stouter secondary ribs with a single row of spines; vittae 1 under the secondary ribs.

Distribution:  Almost cosmopolitan genus with about 50-60 species; in Australia 1 species escaped from cultivation and 1 very variable species native. (Thellung (1926) Reprium nov. Spec. Regni veg. 23:147-159; Thellung & Hegi in Hegi (1926) Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 5, 2:1501-1526.)

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Umbel rays many, spreading, bearing many-flowered umbellules which form a flat-topped compound umbel when flowering, bending inwards when fruiting	D. carota 1.
1. Umbel rays 2-5, remaining erect, unequal, bearing 2-6-flowered umbellules which form an irregular umbel	D. glochidiatus 2.

Author: Not yet available