The umbelliferous genus Daucus consists of approximately 25 species (including carrots) which are characterized by the presence of spines and hairs on both primary and secondary ridges of dorsally compressed fruits. The genus is distributed primarily in Meditteranean areas, although it occurs also in South and North America, Australia, and Africa. Taxonomically, Daucus has been considered to be one of the most problematic genera in the Apiaceae due to the highly variable fruit morphology. Despite taxonomical controversy and economic importance of the genus, no rigorously constructed estimate of phylogenetic relationship exists. To examine generic limit and relationships among species of Daucus and relatives, phylogenetic analyses of characters derived from morphology and anatomy were conducted. The resulting consensus of parsimony trees showed that: (1) there was a dichotomy between European taxa and African, American taxa; (2) Daucus was not monophyletic with members of the genera Agrocharis, Pachyctenium, and Pseudorlaya nested within the genus; (3) The African genus Agrocharis was incorporated within Daucus and showed close relationships with American taxa of Daucus; (4) Daucus glochidiatus with poorly understood relationships, restricted to Australia and Papua New Guinea, was closely related to African D. hochstetteri, and East Mediterranean D. durieua.

Key words: Apiaceae, Daucus