Queen Anne's lace, or wild carrot, is native throughout North America. The carrots we eat are
a subspecies of this plant, Daucus carota subsp. sativus.
Identification: Plants are up to 3′ (91 cm) tall, smelling exactly like carrots.
Foliage is relatively sparse, finely divided, looking like that of yarrow or carrots.
Flowers appear in dense white umbrella-shaped or flat-topped flowerheads atop long
spindly-looking hairy stems. Each flowerhead is composed of dozens of tiny 5-petaled flowers.
As the flowers age, the flowerheads become convex as the centers sink, eventually folding up into
a ball-shaped "nest" the protects the fruits developing within.
8/1/2019 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
6/16/2013 · Sonny and Donna’s, Tenant’s Harbor, Maine · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 23 cm)
Here is a comparison of some similar-appearing species:
Up to 3' tall, with leaves so finely divided as to look featherlike, with "feathers" up to 9" long
Grows to 3' in height. Plant smells like carrots.
Flowers
Small white flowers about ⅛″ (3.2 mm) across occur in small separated groups, resembling little parasols. Each flower has 5 petals and 5 stamens. The "parasols" are arranged into umbrella-shaped flowerheads.
Densely packed clusters of tiny white flowers, flat-topped or umbrella-shaped. (Cultivars may be yellow, red, or many other colors.) Flowers have 4-6 petals; each petal has three lobes.
Pale pink before opening. When open, forms an umbrella-shaped flower cluster up to 3" across, composed of tiny 5-petaled flowers.
Leaves
Compound leaves are deeply divided and subdivided.
Stem
Stems are spotted or striped with purple.
Fine hairs on stems and leaves.
Seeds
Fruit
Range/ Zones
Habitats
Meadows, fields, nearly anywhere there is full or partial sun
Rich, moist soils in ditches, stream banks, vacant farmland, and fence and tree lines
Moist, shady mountain woodlands, streambeds
Type
Wild
Wild
Edibility: Wild carrot roots are edible when young, before
they become woody, but because this plant is easily confused with the extremely poisonousspotted water hemlock, it is unsafe to consume this plant. Leaves
can cause phytophotodermatitis.