Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot,
Daucus carota
Apiaceae or Celery Family
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Tall herb, about 2-5 feet tall. Leaves
very finely dissected. Flowers tiny, in a
flat-topped symmetrical cluster (an "umbel"). Usually all
flowers are white, except the very center one which is deep
purple. Below the umbel is a whorl of finely dissected
leaf-like bracts. The fruits are hooked brownish seeds that form from each flower. Blooms in summer.
This is the same species as cultivated carrots; it escaped long ago to become this very weed of waste places. Common in Wildwood along the bike path and Wildwood Drive. Other members of the Celery Family have similar flower clusters, but those in Wildwood are either much smaller or much larger than Queen Anne's lace. The single purple flower is also a good help in identifying the plant. At first glance it might be confused with Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), but that has somewhat different leaves and very different flower clusters. |
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