Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands

Take care of our Navajo Rangelands

Navajo wild carrot
Chaasht’ezhiitsoh
(a.k.a. sand dock, dock root, canyaigre, wild rhubarb)

Brushland habitat

Navajo wild carrot is not a carrot but rather a member of the buckwheat family. It is native to the southwest United States. It is known colloquially as a carrot perhaps because the root can be used to make a burnt orange dye. Wild carrot has also been used medicinally. The plants grow to a height of three feet and have tall, reddish stems. The leaves are basal, elliptic in shape, and sometimes wavy at the margin. Seeds are reddish-brown. Plants are found on sandy roadsides and fields at lower to middle elevations. The stems are reddish with an interior that is somewhat spongy with airspaces.

Seeds, which have a papery covering formed from the dried sepals of the flower
Growth habit with large, simple basal leaves and a central stalk containing a reddish inflorescence

Copyright 2018 New Mexico State University. Individual photographers retain all rights to their images. Partially funded by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (westernsare.org; 435.797.2257), project EW15-023. Programs and projects supported by Western SARE are equally open to all people. NMSU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer..

NMSU does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, retaliation, serious medical condition, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, spousal affiliation or protected veteran status in its programs and activities as required by equal opportunity/affirmative action regulations and laws and university policy and rules. For more information please read the NMSU Notice of Non-discrimination (opens in new window).