Queen Anne’s Lace
Daucus carota
Other Names: Wild Carrot, Bird's Nest
|
Family
|
- Apiaceae – Carrot family or Umbelliferae – Parsley family (experts disagree on the family)
|
|
Flower
|
- compound flat cluster (umbel) that is ~ 7.5-12.5 cm (3-5 inches) of many small, white or cream-colored flowers
- one dark red-brown to deep purple flower at center of cluster
- multiple stiff, 3-forked bracts below the main cluster of flowers
|
|
Leaf
|
- 5-20cm (2-8 inches) long; fern-like
- when crushed, give off a carrot scent
- stem has many bristle-like hairs
|
|
Location
|
- in most of North America, except for far north
- found in disturbed areas and dry fields
|
|
Flowering Time
|
|
|
Other
|
- exotic from Europe
- as a relative of the garden carrot, its first-year taproot is edible
- considered a weed despite its attractive appearance
- plant grows to between 30 and 100 cm (1-3.5 feet) tall
|
|
Name Origin
|
- At maturity, the cluster of flowers curls upward and looks like a bird’s nest giving this plant one of its common names. The reddish floret in the center is supposed to represent a drop of Queen Anne’s lace after she pricked her finger. That, along with the lacey appearance of the flat clusters provides another common name.
|
|
 |
