Caligula's favorite vegetable

Perfectly disgusting: From a textbook on the evils of the carrot.

Far from being an aphrodisiac, the carrot (Daucus carota) has undeniable links to that most infamous of natural poisons, hemlock. They belong to the same family (as does fennel, but don't blame it) and, above ground at least, are strikingly similar in appearance. Indeed there are a number of recorded cases of poisonings, some fatal, among foragers who mistook hemlock greens for carrot greens. Even carrot greens themselves, according to some sources, contain toxic alkaloids, with effects ranging from elevated blood pressure to death. And you want to put the root of that into your body?

Carrot

Hemlock

This is a public service message brought to you by The Vegetable of the Devil Foundation.