Why are carrot roots orange?

Carotene, a pigment that acts as a sort of supplementary light absorber to clorophyll.

;) Wasn’t looking for the literal answer, but more the question of what kind of advantage it brought/connected with.

What good is photo synthesis underground?

MOST carrots are orange. I’ve worked with yellow ones, white ones (no not parsnip) black ones (really dark purple), red ones, purple ones and purple/orange ones.

And just in case you wanna know.

Anthoncyanin is the red/purple pigment. Like in beets.

Chlorophyll is the green pigment.

Phlavon is the white pigment.

(sorry if the spelling are off they’re this is off the top of my head)

Coooool! I’ve never seen those before!

I like this picture.

Beets are roots and:“Varieties come in red, gold, white, and red & white striped called the candy cane variety.”

Have you seen the little blue potatoes (also growns underground)?

Turnips are magenta and white.

Maybe that beauty is more than skin-deep?

Also, if you look closely you can tell carrots are related to parsley. The leave look the same, and if you have ever seen a parsley root, it looks like a carrot.

They’re also orange because farmers grow what people want. Those are the best tasting, so those sell the most, and thus forms our perception as Carrots being orange- even though many roots that are technically carrots aren’t orange at all. If yellow carrots sold the best, that’s the predominant color you would see in the supermarket.

YUM! Okay, now I want to go get all the colors and taste them.

All Things Carrot.

I need to retract one of my facts.

I said “Anthoncyanin is the red/purple pigment. Like in beets.”

I am incorrect. Anthocyanin is indeed a red/purple color but it’s not in beets. It’s the red cabbage and blood oranges. (I knew this) What I didn’t know was BEETS have a different pigment called BETALAIN.

Whatever the scientific name (and I am impressed, Simone) beet juice will stain everything it touches, except stainless steel,

Beet juice even stains your internal organs! Purple poop. I’ve seen it.

< < not wanting whatever job jballou has.

@robmandu I have a normal job, and beet-loving over-sharing friends.

heh

< < not wanting whatever friends jballou has.