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Caraway

Carum carvi

Also called Wild caraway, Carum, Persian Cumin, Meridian Fennel

Caraway
Photo: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain

Caraway is a biennial herb in the carrot family, grown mainly for its aromatic seeds (botanically fruits). It does best in a warm, sunny spot with well-drained, organic-rich soil.

Family
Apiaceae (Carrot family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Keep soil evenly moist while establishing, then water moderately; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile soil rich in organic matter.
Temperature
15–25 °C; tolerates frost when established, but young plants need protection from hard freezes.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Not known to be toxic. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Temp. Eurasia
Climate
temperate

About

Caraway (Carum carvi), also known as meridian fennel, is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa.

How to grow it

The plant prefers warm, sunny locations and well-drained soil rich in organic matter. In warmer regions, it is planted in the winter as an annual. In temperate climates, it is planted as a summer annual or biennial.

Uses

Caraway seeds are 10% water, 50% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and 15% fat (table). In a 100 grams (3.5 oz) reference amount, caraway seeds are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of protein, B vitamins (24–33% DV), vitamin C (25% DV), and several dietary minerals, especially iron (125% DV), phosphorus (81% DV), and zinc (58% DV) (table).

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Caraway by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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