Photographs: Crookhaven, Co. Cork

Wild Carrot Daucus carota subsp. carota Mealbhacán Family: Apiaceae Flowering time: June-August. Biennial. Native. Umbels of small whitish flowers, the central flower often red. Bracts and bracteoles present. Umbel rays contracted and concave in fruit. Leaves are pinnate, lanceolate-oval with pinnatifid leaflets. An erect, narrowly branched, slightly hairy plant with ridged stems. Height to 100cm. Calcareous soils among grassland and on roadsides and coastal cliffs Similar: Sea Carrot (D. carota subsp. gummifer). Blunter, fleshy leaflets. Umbels only slightly contract in fruit. Coastal SW, SE Ireland

Wild Carrot, Daucus carota, Mealbhacán