Some Notes on… Carrots Dominic Maze, Biologist City of Portland Environmental Services 01/16/20 Apiaceae • We’ll talk about the carrot family and discuss some native and exotic species • Issues: many look very similar and it’s a big family • And a bunch are really weedy • And a bunch are pretty toxic • And a bunch are pretty rare • Culturally important, too Environmental Services l Carrot Family 2 Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) • “Apium”-classical name for celery • Remarkable floral conservation o 5 distinct petals (usually small/white, umbels). Reduced sepals. • And vegetative, too o Hollow stems, sheathing petioles, divided lvs., tuberous roots • So great for recognizing family, not so great for generic or specific ID • All fruits (here) ridged in 2 parts • Without fruits…kinda tough Environmental Services l Carrot Family 3 Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) • Leaves: dissected, “solid”, “ferny”, sheathed, hairy (top and bottom)? Alternate. • Stem: hairy, blotched, ridged, hollow, swollen nodes? • How tall? • Where is it growing? • Flowers: clustered, rays, color, shape? • Fruits: shape (pointy, flat), smooth, ribbed, stylopodium? • Smell? Environmental Services l Carrot Family Last pic: colinherb.com 4 Exotic/native “carrots” • “The internet may not be your friend.” [unless it’s pnwherbaria.org, itis.gov, or oregonflora.org, etc.] • So many species: we’ll focus on genera with IS/lookalikes. Many native genera of importance Environmental Services l Carrot Family 5 Torilis spp. • ‘hedge-parsley’- Several species: • T. japonica: weed du jour • Been here a while (1976). Pretty weedy. Shaded areas into open • T. arvensis: real threat imo. Open areas. Oaks. Rare plants • Several other species waifs or headed up from CA. • Fruit prickles and ray bracts. • Ray bracts/leaf better.. Environmental Services l Carrot Family 6 Osmorhiza spp. • ‘sweet cicely’ • Several species: O. occidentalis, purpurea, berteroi. • Co-occurs with Torilis. Esp. japonica • “leaf terminal segments small and narrow in Torilis”. Fruit pretty different. • Please don’t spray. Environmental Services l Carrot Family 7 Chaerophyllum temulum • ‘rough chervil’. “Poisonous”. (to people?) • Man, sure looks like a bunch of other species… styles divergent, glabrous • Hammered Ross Island • Seed smooth and ridged Pics: King Co., Flora Emslandia Environmental Services l Carrot Family 8 Chaerophyllum temulum • ‘rough chervil’. “Poisonous”. (to people?) • Man, sure looks like a bunch of other species… styles divergent, glabrous • Hammered Ross Island • Seed smooth and ridged • Limited distribution? Pics: King Co., Flora Emslandia Environmental Services l Carrot Family 9 Anthriscus sylvestris • ‘cow parsley’- looks very similar to the previous species, flowers 1st (?) • Fruits with spines, right? Please? Beaked tip? • Purple botchy stems (absence) best way to differentiate. • Does it matter? • Lots more out there, assumed to be Conium. Environmental Services l Carrot Family 10 Anthriscus caucalis • ‘bur chervil’ • Wet/moist areas. Annual. Well established • Ring of hairs at base of fruit • Smaller plant and fruit than former; fruit beaked unlike Torilis • Chemical control? Is it ED/RR? You better have a good plan (like the other annuals) Environmental Services l Carrot Family 11 Myrrhis odorata • ‘sweet cicely’ • Not too common • Smells like licorice • Occasional on roadsides, trails Environmental Services l Carrot Family 12 Conium maculatum • ‘poison hemlock’ • Gotta mention this dude… fatalities pretty rare, tho • Seemingly everywhere in our area open and disturbed, biennial • Finely divided leaves, purplish stems, “the stink”. Pretty tall • Seeds no stylopodium, small (and cheap!) • Management? Environmental Services l Carrot Family 13 Daucus carota • ‘Queen Anne’s lace’, ‘wild carrot’ • Fairly ubiquitous in open areas, old fields, Valley roadsides. Mid-disturbance… • Umbels dense, end up flat • Seed articulated, smells like carrots. Duh. • Manage? • Lots of vitamin A! 2nd ,3rd, 6th Pic: en.Wikipedia.org Environmental Services l Carrot Family 14 Daucus pusillus • ‘rattlesnake weed’, • Annual. Wimpier; umbellets 5-12 flowered vs. ~15-20 for D. carota • Quite uncommon (now) in our area • Really hard to find a good (trustworthy) pic online 2nd Pic: utexas.edu Environmental Services l Carrot Family 15 Heracleum mantegazzianum • Named after Italian botanist • Big. Anise odor. • Famous? • Biennial to perennial. • You all probably know it’s a priority • Hairy bumps on stem, rounded “head”, jagged leaves (compared to native) • In a world of IS hyperbole, take this one seriously Environmental Services l Carrot Family 16 Heracleum maximum • Our native cow parsnip • Smaller, less dissected leaves • 10-40 umbellets vs. 50-100 • Inevitable confusion when GH hits the news • Parsnip odor • Can cause burns too Environmental Services l Carrot Family 17 Natives to be sought • Perideridia gaidneri (Not this pic from a university) • West-side Lomatium • Angelica (arguta & genuflexa) • Ligusticum (apiifolium & grayi) • Sanicula (crassicaulis & bipinnatifida) • This makes this a 24kt talk. Environmental Services l Carrot Family 18 Apiaceae • Shameless Plug: • https://tinyurl.com/u7yc5h6 • Questions? Environmental Services l Carrot Family 19 Dominic Maze [email protected] Environmental Services l Carrot Family 20 .