Wild caraway

Discuss this plant with the guide — choose this profile as a possible match and prepare your observations for Colorado Plants & Practical Care.

Carum carvi

Colorado noxious weed · List B — Stop the spread. CO-rules-2025

Established in some areas. Requirements vary by location: eradication, containment or suppression to stop further spread. This is a management category, separate from danger ratings. Category source · What the lists mean.

Spreads by seed; pet safety concern. Exposure help.

Identification caveat: A white flower umbrella is not sufficient to separate caraway from poison hemlock or water hemlock; the comparison is an editorial identification precaution.

Still researching this plant

This is a sourced working profile. Evidence is incomplete for Other animals. Identification and source-photo limits are explained below. Independent botanical and veterinary review is pending. Uncertainty is not a finding that the plant is safe.

Three views of this plant

Source-identified reference photographs; these are not a complete identification key. A source location outside Colorado does not establish local occurrence.

**fruits** — Developing ribbed caraway fruits on the radiating stalks of a compound umbel.
Ayotte, Gilles, 1948- · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check Nom français : carvi commun. Nom anglais : wild caraway. Infrutescence (ombelle composée, ombellules, fruits, diachaines) de carvi commun, vue de côté. Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

**habit** — White-flowering caraway plants growing as a patch beside a fence in grassland.
Ayotte, Gilles, 1948- · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check Nom français : carvi commun. Nom anglais : wild caraway. Plants en fleur (inflorescence) de carvi commun, en milieu naturel. Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

**leaves** — Several finely divided caraway leaves displayed against a dark background.
Ayotte, Gilles, 1948- · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source-identified photograph with visual consistency check Nom français : carvi commun. Nom anglais : wild caraway. Feuilles de carvi commun. Source labeling and visible consistency checked; not an independent specimen determination.
Wikimedia-generated thumbnail rescaling only; downloaded bytes unchanged. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Recognize

A biennial with finely divided, carrot-like leaves and small white or pinkish flowers in umbrella-shaped clusters. N-carum-carvi

Plants & habitat

Self-sows in suitable moist sites. Culinary use does not remove its Colorado weed designation. N-carum-carvi

People

White-flowered carrot-family plants require careful identification. The caraway description is not enough to rule out poisonous look-alikes. N-carum-carvi

Evidence scope: Editorial identification precaution.

Dogs & cats

ASPCA lists Carum carvi as toxic to dogs and cats, with vomiting and diarrhea associated with its oils. No safe dose is established here. A-caraway

Other animals

ASPCA also lists horses as susceptible. Culinary use by people does not establish forage safety. A-caraway

Before taking action

Confirm identification and the requirements of your county weed program. For chemical treatment, follow the current product label, including restrictions around animals and water. S27

References

CO-rules-2025 — Colorado Noxious Weed Act rules, 8 CCR 1206-2, Colorado Secretary of State / Department of Agriculture. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:07:48+00:00. Locator: Parts 3.1, 4.1, 5.1; management provisions; effective May 15, 2025.
N-carum-carvi — carum carvi — Plant Toolbox, NC State Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:04:54+00:00. Locator: Description; Attributes; Problems; Poisonous to Humans.
S27 — 2103 – Colorado Noxious Weeds, PlantTalk Colorado · CSU Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:23:57+00:00. Locator: List A, B and C management categories.
A-caraway — Caraway, ASPCA Poison Control. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:14:01+00:00. Locator: Scientific name and toxicity.

Content revised 2026-09-07 03:50:00Z · Source checks dated separately in the references.