Carrots

(Daucus carota)

Carrots (Daucus carota) is native to Europe and Asia, especially Afghanistan. Cultivated thousands of years ago for leaves and seeds, the modern straight rooted types (or possibly parsnips) were grown by the Romans. In Northern Europe purple rooted carrots were popular by the 1300s. Modern carrots with strong orange colour were bred in Holland in the 1600s.