<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Trinomial name </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Daucus carota subsp . sativus (Hoffm .) Schübl . & G. Martens </Td> </Tr> <P> The carrot (Daucus carota subsp . sativus) is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist . Carrots are a domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia . The plant probably originated in Persia and was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds . The most commonly eaten part of the plant is the taproot, although the stems and leaves are eaten as well . The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged, more palatable, less woody - textured taproot . </P> <P> The carrot is a biennial plant in the umbellifer family Apiaceae . At first, it grows a rosette of leaves while building up the enlarged taproot . Fast - growing cultivars mature within three months (90 days) of sowing the seed, while slower - maturing cultivars are harvested four months later (120 days). The roots contain high quantities of alpha - and beta - carotene, and are a good source of vitamin K and vitamin B6, but the belief that eating carrots improves night vision is a myth put forward by the British in World War II to mislead the enemy about their military capabilities . </P>

Carrot comes from which part of the plant