Daucus pusillus Michx. http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/whites/white33.htm l Sarah Schumann Hort 5051 May 5, 2008 Taxonomy • Scientific Name: Daucus pusillus Michx. • Synonyms: D. montevidensis and D. hispidifolius • Common Names: American Wild Carrot, Rattlesnakeweed, Southwestern Carrot, Seedticks, Rattlesnake-weed • Family: Apiaceae Geographic Distribution • Continents: North America, South America • Countries: United States, Argentina, Chile, Mexico • States: AL, AR, AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, KS, LA, MO, MS, NC, NM, OK, OR, SC, TN, TX, WA • Latitudinal Ranges: 70-124’ W • Altitude: 0-5000 feet • Tendency to naturalize or become invasive: Not on the USDA invasive and noxious weed list Distribution in the United States http://plants.usda.gov/maps/large/DA/DAPU3.png Native Habitat • Habitat: Temperate climate – Along Roadsides and railroads – Rocky prairies – Woodland openings – Open rocky areas – Edges of escarpments Taxonomic Description • Overall Plant Habit/Description: 1-3’ plant, erect, little branching • Leaves: Pinnately compound and finely cut. The individual leaflets are saw-toothed or deeply serrated and are alternately arranged • Flower: – White umbel – After maturity it closes to form a cup-shaped plants.usda.gov structure. – Hermaphrodite, both male and female organs – Pollinated by flies and bees • Season of Bloom: April-June • Uses by indigenous people: Native Americans ate the roots raw or cooked. It www.fireflyforest.com • Other uses: Treatment of snakebites, colds, fevers and itches. Varieties/Cultivars • None currently on the market Propagation Methods http://www.ars- grin.gov/npgs/images/sbml/Daucus_pusillus_nsh.jpg • Vegetative vs. seed: Seed • Seed dormancy: Does not require a treatment to germinate. Will germinate better if seeds are cold stratified • Germination temperatures/duration: 10-30’ C Crop Ideotype • Long-blooming spring flower • Short germination period Market Niche-Identification and Justification • Target sale date: Spring Garden Sales • Potential holiday for this product: Mother’s Day • Programmability: It is possible with vernalization or gibberellic acid • Crops with which this will compete in the market: Daucus carota, Queen Anne’s Lace Market Niche-Identification and Justification • Major Crop?: Probably not, because of its biennial nature • Initial crop limitation/ problems: No cultivars or varieties available, not much know about greenhouse production of the crop • Already identifiable to growers and consumers? No • How soon could this product be available?: 5-10 years for breeding, selection, trials and multiplication of seed Anticipated Cultural Requirements • Winter Hardiness (USDA Zones): Zone 1-10a • Heat/Drought tolerance: Drought tolerant • Temperature ( Day Night): Very low temperature to very high temperatures based on the distribution of the plant • Light quantity, quality, duration; photoperiod response: Prefers sun and cannot tolerate full shade. Flowering is not a photoperiodic response. • Nutrition: Unknown • Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Does best in sandy, loamy and clay soils. • Plant growth regulators: Gibberellic acid to induce flowering • Container size: Sow in a 288 plug tray and finish in a pot up to 4 inches • Disease resistance/susceptibility: Unknown • Fungicides, insecticides: Unknown Production Schedule • Number of weeks until germination: Two weeks • Number of weeks until flower bud initiation: Unknown. If treated with gibberellic acid, flower bud initiation will be induced within one month. • Vernalization will also induce flower bud initiation. • Target sale dates: Spring Garden Sales Needs Assessment for Genetic Improvement • More research needs to be done to see how long the vernalization period must be to induce flowering, and the total production time • Breeding efforts to pinpoint the exact time to FBD and FBI if flower initiation is induced with either gibberellic acid or vernalization • Research to see if the plant is invasive outside of its native habitat • Breeding efforts to produce cultivars Works Cited Camadro, E., Cauhepe, M., Simon, P. Compatibility relations between the edible carrot Daucus carota and D. pusillus, a related wild species from the Argentinian Pampas. Euphytica. Vol. 159. Netherlands: Springer, Jan. 2008. Camadro, E., Cauhepe, M., Simon, P. Geographical distribution of wild Daucus species In the natural grasslands of the Argentinian pampas. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. Vol. 54. Netherlands: Springer, June 2007. Pitt, M. D., and Heady, H. F. Responses of Annual Vegetation to Temperature and Rainfall Patterns in Northern California. Vol. 59, No. 2. Ecological Society of America, 1978. Saenz Lain, C. Research on Daucus L. (Umbelliferae). Actas III Congr. ÓPTIMA. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 37 (2): 481-534, 1981. United States Department of Agriculture. American Wild Carrot Daucus pusillus Michx. Jan. 2002. < http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/doc/pg_dapu3.doc> (14 April, 2008). United States Department of Agriculture. Cold Hardiness Zone Map. 2005. <http://www. usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html> (28 April, 2008). Young, Betty. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of container Daucus pusillus Michx. plants; USDI NPS - Golden Gate National Parks, San Francisco, California. Native Plant Network. University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Forest Research Nursery.<http://www.native plantnetwork.org> (21 April, 2008). .