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Thapsia villosa
Villous deadly carrot is a perennial herb from the carrot family, growing 70 to 190 cm tall from a thick white taproot. It is highly poisonous and should be handled with care, so it suits botanical interest rather than the home garden.
Thapsia villosa, commonly known as the villous deadly carrot, is a species of poisonous herbaceous plants in the genus Thapsia. It grows to about 70 to 190 cm (28 to 75 in) in height. It has pinnate hairy leaves with sheath-like petioles. The flowers are yellow in color and borne on compound umbels. They develop into fruits with four wings characteristic of the genus. It is native to southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The plant was used extensively for traditional medicine since around the 3rd century BC.
Thapsia villosa is highly poisonous. Skin contact with the roots can cause severe itching and swelling.
Unlike most members of the family Apiaceae, Thapsia villosa flowers early, during the months of May, June, and July. The flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects. The flowers develop into winged fruits that dry out around August, while other members of the family are usually still in bloom.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Thapsia villosa 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.
