The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus; is a ruit vegetable, uisually orange in colour, tho purpie, reid, white, an yellae varieties exeest. Carrots are a domesticatit form o the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native tae Europe an soothwastren Asia. The plant probably oreeginatit in Persie an wis oreeginally cultivatit for its leafs an seeds. The maist commonly eaten pairt o the plant is the taupin, although the stems and leafs are eaten as weel. The domestic carrot haes been selectively bred for its greatly enlairged, mair palatable, less widdy-texturt tapruit.
The carrot is a biennial plant in the umbellifer faimily Apiaceae. At first, it growes a rosette o leafs while biggin up the enlairged taupin. Fest-growin cultivars matur within three month (90 days) o sowin the seed, while slawer-maturin cultivars are hairstit fower month later (120 days). The ruits conteen heich quantities o alpha- an beta-carotene, an are a guid soorce o vitamin K an vitamin B6, but the belief that eatin carrots impruives nicht veesion is a myth pit forrit bi the Breetish in Warld War II tae mislead the enemy aboot thair militar capabilities.
The Unitit Naitions Fuid an Agricultur Organisation (FAO) reports that warld production o carrots an neeps (thir plants are combined bi the FAO) for the calendar year 2013 wis 37.2 million tonnes; awmaist hauf (~45%) war grawn in Cheenae. Carrots are widely uised in mony cuisines, especially in the preparation o salads, an carrot salads are a tradeetion in mony regional cuisines.
