Monizia edulis
Carrot Tree
a perennial member of the Monizia genus in the family Umbelliferae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Umbelliferae
- Genus
- Monizia
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 1.2 m
- Fertility
- Self fertile, Insects
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Insects
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Root - raw or cooked[1][2]. The root tastes like earth nuts when it is raw but is insipid when cooked[3].
- Plant part
- Root
Environment
- Range
- Madeira.
- Habitat
- Cliffs[3].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 9+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe if possible, otherwise sow it in early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Requires a position in full sun in any moderately fertile well-drained soil[4]. Plants are not very hardy in Britain and are unlikely to succeed outdoors in any but the mildest areas of the country. A monocarpic species, living for a number of years without flowering and then dying after flowering[4].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5