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Common Name: Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Carrot
Genus: Daucus carota
Family: Apiaceae
Fox Mountain Road
Columbus, North Carolina
June 8, 2002
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The attractive, 2 - 4 inch "flower" is actually a compound inflorescence made up of many small flowers. A common, introduced, biennial weed, 1 - 4 feet tall, that is found in fallow fields, waste places, and along roadsides throughout North Carolina and much of the eastern U.S. May - September [Justice, William S. and Bell, C. Ritchie, Wild Flowers of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1968]
Queen Anne's Lace is one of the most visible and best known of the summer wildflowers. Its tall, rough, and hairy stem supports its easily recognized lacy, flat-topped cluster of creamy white flowers. A close look at the cluster often will reveal one dark reddish brown floret in the center. This gives rise to the story that while the queen was making lace, she pricked her finger with a needle and the reddish brown floret represents a drop of the queen's blood. This plant is a member of the parsley family and its 2- to 8-inch-long, finely cut leaves very much resemble parsley. The true nature of the plant however, can be seen in its carrot-like root. As a matter of fact, it is a wild carrot and is often known by that name. Because the root is rich in carotin, it does have some healing powers. Old woodsmen often grated the root and mixed it with oil for a soothing application to burns. The plant also has a reputation for curing internal disorders, and although the blossoms are not usually eaten, the central reddish brown floret was once thought to cure epilepsy. The grated root and juice can be and often is eaten. [Alderman, J. Anthony, Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1997]
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Alphabetical Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Family Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Genus Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z