Carrot cultivars can be grouped int

Carrot cultivars can be grouped into two broad classes, eastern carrots and western carrots. More recently, a number of novelty cultivars have been bred for particular characteristics.

The city of Holtville, California, promotes itself as "Carrot Capital of the World", and holds an annual festival devoted entirely to the carrot.[49]

Eastern carrots were domesticated in Central Asia, probably in modern-day Iran and Afghanistan in the 10th century, or possibly earlier. Specimens of the eastern carrot that survive to the present day are commonly purple or yellow, and often have branched roots. The purple colour common in these carrots comes from anthocyanin pigments.[50]

The western carrot emerged in the Netherlands in the 17th century,[51] its orange colour making it popular in those countries as an emblem of the House of Orange and the struggle for Dutch independence.[52] The orange colour results from abundant carotenes in these cultivars.

Western carrot cultivars are commonly classified by their root shape. The four general types listed below are followed by specific variety examples. However, there are also many varieties falling outside these types.

Chantenay carrots are shorter than other cultivars, but have greater girth, sometimes growing up to 8 centimetres (3 in) in diameter. They have broad shoulders and taper towards a blunt, rounded tip. They are most commonly diced for use in canned or prepared foods.
Carson Hybrid
Red Cored Chantenay
Danvers carrots have a conical shape, having well-defined shoulders and tapering to a point at the tip. They are somewhat shorter than Imperator cultivars, but more tolerant of heavy soil. Danvers cultivars are often puréed as baby food. They were developed in 1871 in Danvers, Massachusetts.[53]
Danvers Half Long
Danvers 126
Imperator carrots are sweet and generally longer and narrower than other types. Imperator types are the most widely produced by commercial growers.
Imperator 58
Sugarsnax Hybrid
Nantes carrots are shorter with a more blunt tip than Imperator types but still can attain high yields in varying conditions. A number of hybrid varieties are available.
Nelson Hybrid
Scarlet Nantes
Sweetness Hybrid

One particular variety lacks the usual orange pigment from carotenes, owing its white colour to a recessive gene for tocopherol (vitamin E).[54] Derived from Daucus carota L. and patented at the University of Wisconsin–Madison,[54] the variety is intended to supplement the dietary intake of Vitamin E