Daucus carota subsp. sativus (carrots, "Ninjin")

Japanese name: ニンジン （人参）
Scientific name: Daucus carota subsp. sativus

[Overview]
A annual or biennial 50–100 cm tall.
The taproot swells and becomes fleshy, reaching 4–100 cm.
The root is usually orange, but may also be yellow, red or purple.
Leaves are alternate and finely pinnately divided.
Many flowers are borne in compound umbels; they are small, five-petaled, and white to cream.

[History]
There are two types: the Western type, which spread from the native range in Afghanistan toward Europe, and the Eastern type, which spread toward China.
In Japan, the Eastern type was mainly grown in the Edo period, but Western cultivars are now the main ones.

[Uses]
The root is eaten, and the soft leaves are also edible.

[Cultivation]
Soil with good sunlight, drainage and water retention is suitable.
The root grows deep, so the soil must be tilled to a depth of about 30 cm.
If the tip of the root meets an obstacle, the root forks, so carefully remove clods of soil, stones and the like.
The germination rate is rather low.
Seeds need light to germinate, so cover them with only a thin layer of soil.
Water often until germination so that the ground does not dry out.
After germination, thin the seedlings and apply additional fertilizer as they grow.
Pests and diseases include soft rot, southern blight, black leaf blight, black spot, damping-off, Yotoga, Kinuwaba and nematodes.
It is also a food plant of the Kiageha butterfly.

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