Wild Carrot, Queen Anne's Lace

On Jun 12, 2017, TAVE from Bay Shore,
United States wrote:

Queen Anne's Lace does not cause a rash, nor is it toxic. Some people who have commented here have confused it with Water and Poison Hemlock, Cow and Wild Parsnip, and Giant Hogweed, all of which should be avoided. Queen Anne's Lace has hairy green stems with NO BLOTCHES, and the crushed leaves will have a carrot-like smell (although you shouldn't touch a plant unless you're positive it isn't a toxic lookalike). Here is a link to help identify Queen Anne's Lace: http://www.ravensroots.com/blog/2015/6/26/poison-hemlock-id
While it is very difficult to transplant if you want some in your garden, it is possible. I have successfully transplanted three small plants from where I foun... read mored them sprouting in the yard over to the butterfly garden. However, it is important to also plant species that are native to your area. I allow three QAL plants to grow; the rest of my garden contains plants native to Long Island, such as showy goldenrod, high bush blueberry, narrow leaf mountain mint, coastal plain joe pye weed, butterfly milkweed, hyssop-leaved boneset and Indian Grass. Non-invasive natives should make up the bulk of the garden to support birds, pollinators, and wildlife.

On Apr 28, 2016, JBtheExplorer from Southeast, WI wrote:

This plant is non-native and invasive in the US. Do not plant it! It spreads easily and sadly can even be found in some of the highest quality prairies and other habitats. This should never be used as a garden flower, and should be removed and replaced with more appropriate and responsible options.

On Jun 7, 2014, ANTDOCTOR from Augusta, GA wrote:

I am surprised to see so many negative comments for Queen Anne's Lace. Unless you are one of those people who do nothing in your yard and expect miracles, then you will love Queen Anne's Lace. I bought a couple of plants several years ago and I now always have it in my garden. It is in with my day lilies and mums and does extremely well. I cut the flowers and bring them inside for beautiful arrangements. Everybody who visits my yard always comments on the beautiful Queen Anne's Lace. It does not hurt the other plants and is very easy to remove. I cut the pods and let them fall where they may. In the early spring, there may be some little plants in places where I don't want them, so I just dig them and their dirt out and plant them where I do want them. You are probably confusing ... read moreQueen Anne's Lace for the look alike that is extremely invasive and gets seeds on you and everywhere else. Queen Anne is the lady she was named after. She would never do this. If this plant is invasive, then I would really hate to hear how a true invasive plant would rate, like evening Primrose or Kudzoo. I finally got rid of my primrose, but now I have them in a planter and they are doing well. I live in Augusta, Georgia.

On Jan 21, 2014, RCCWMA from Little Canada, MN wrote:

This is not a native plant (wildflower) in the USA. It does come in a lot of "Prairie in a can" or "wildflower mixes", but don't believe it. As for eating it, unless you are a botanist or are well versed in identification of the Apiacea/Umbelliferae, do not eat it. There are too many members of this family that are toxic or deadly.
As for the Heracleum, touching some species may cause skin irritation, others, severe burns. Burns may appear days after exposure and cause purple scarring. H. mantegazzianum sap can cause permanent blindness if it gets into your eyes.
Always look up whether that interesting looking plant is invasive before planting it. Just type the name of the plant (common or scientific) and the work "invasive" into your web browser. Your local or state... read more natural resources or agriculture department invasive speices experts will be able to tell you if your plant has become an invasive species in other areas (a good clue for whether you should plant it or not).
Thank you;
Ramsey County Cooperative Weed Managment Area, Minnesota

On Aug 26, 2013, greenneck from Paoli, IN wrote:

Vendors sell this?
Who would pay money for a weed that can be found anywhere, everywhere?

On May 3, 2010, Sunflower1888 from Manassas, VA wrote:

I am confused about the reports of burrs. I have this wildflower in my garden and I have never encountered burrs on the plant.

My Queenies come back every year with varying success. One season I had a plant by the mail box as tall as I am.
They make beautiful cut arrangements and are long lasting when cut.

Legend has it that Queen Anne pricked herself while making lace. Her blood droplets account for the dark purple petals at the center of each bloom. Look closely and you will see them.

They will not survive transplanting so if you have them sprouting where they are unwelcome just pull them up.

On May 17, 2009, holeth from Corpus Christi, TX (Zone 9a) wrote:

Although it's obviously a weed, it's so ubiquitous that minor cultivation is no longer significant. A specimen or two for cut flowers can be likened to a neighbor with dandelions in their lawn, while there are highways and ballfields full of yellow blossoms and fluffy white puffballs. (Believe it or not, those dandelions are better for our health than rivers and streams [and therefore somebody's drinking water] full of broad-leaf herbicides.)

Although many invasives respond to management, some are beyond the point of no return. (Can you stop the wind or the birds from spreading seeds?) They're effectively part of the ecosystem now. Pandora's box is open. Ya can't put them back. What you can do is plant natives to create habitat for wildlife, and prevent new nonnative i... read morenvasives from getting loose. :-)

Ahem, that said, Queen Anne's Lace is a beautiful biennial which is easily dead-headed before ripened. It is a host species to the Black Swallowtail butterfly, and perhaps one of the reasons that's one of the few common large butterflies left.

Queen Anne's Lace is truly Wild Carrot: same genus & species. Therefore, they can be harvested and cleaned for wilderness survival, provided that they are growing far from highways and industrial areas. They thrive in ecotone/edge habitats as well as shortgrass and rocky areas, and spread rapidly in disturbances. They do not thrive in forests or tallgrass prairies where there is too much shade.

They are extremely hardy, tolerating droughts, freezes, and herbivory. Perhaps some of these traits should be bred back into our food crop carrots. ;-)

On Aug 16, 2008, buggycrazy from spokane valley, WA (Zone 5a) wrote:

An introduced pest to the US and considered a noxious weed in many states-meaning it is illegal to ship plants or seed of this pest into that state. The other states have just given up. Classified as a Biennial, it is an ANNUAL here in western Oregon, it is resistant to all pre-emergent herbicides I have tried-meaning NOTHING stops it from germinating, and it blooms and seeds in one season. Mowing doesn't control it except in a turf situation, it just reblooms at a lower height and seeds anyway. Plants form a deep taproot and are very hard to pull or hoe out. Seeds stick to anything and everything so are easily spread, seed heads are very flammable so are a fire hazard here in the west where we get no summer rain. The honey produced from this pest is unfit for human consumption and ... read morecauses losses in the bee industry. Yes it is pretty, there are many pink forms of it here infesting my fields, but it is far more trouble than it is worth looking at..

On Nov 3, 2007, distantkin from Saint Cloud, MN (Zone 4b) wrote:

On Minnesota DNR invasive list. From the website...
Ecological Threat:
It invades disturbed dry prairies, abandoned fields, waste places, and road sides. It is a threat to recovering grasslands and can be persistent on clay soils.
A native of Europe and Asia it now occurs throughout the U.S.
It tends to decline as native grasses and herbaceous plants become established.
Queen Ann's lace is on the MDA Secondary noxious weeds list in Minnesota.

On Feb 15, 2007, WUVIE from Hulbert, OK (Zone 7a) wrote:

Years ago I found QAL growing in a small area near our home. Apparently it was a gift from a bird. I gathered the seeds and tossed them about. The following year I had even more of them,
and the next year as well. I am currently attempting to get it to spread down a ditch so as to fight the weeds.

To keep it under control where I do not wish it to grow, I simply mow over it.

The fun thing about QAL is to gather a bouquet of it in the summer, then place the cuttings into a glass of food coloring. The blooms will absorb and display the color. Very fun!

KM

On Oct 15, 2005, evolnaej from Austin, TX wrote:

Are we talking about the same plant when we talk about Queen Anne's Lace? It sounds to me like some of us are referring to what we call Beggar's Lice or Beggar's ticks here in Texas. This twiggy "noxious weed" grows profusely by the roadsides, etc. and makes seeds that stick to everything like lice. The flower head of this plant is barely 2 inches in diameter. Then some of us are talking about that beautiful 6-inch flowerhead that appears in bouquets and has the Latin name Daucus carota. This flowerhead has a large, hollow stem several feet long. I want to grow Daucus carota/Queen Anne's Lace in my garden, and I am looking for seeds, but I sure don't need beggar's lice seeds. It would be good to know how to ask for one, but not the other.

On May 5, 2005, stephpaige from The Colony, TX (Zone 8a) wrote:

BEWARE: DO NOT PLANT THIS UNLESS YOU CAN KEEP THIS UNDER CONTROL!

Although the flowers are pretty this weed has become my worst nightmare. After buying my first house last summer in TX, I was incredibly excited about my first spring and all that I would do in the yard and putting in a new vegetable garden. Unfortunately I spent almost all of March and April pulling this monster from my yard!

Yes, it is a biennial, which is probably why I didn't notice much of it last summer, but OMG nothing will get rid of this stuff except pulling or using RoundUp on it, which of course is not the best thing to do for lawns. So, everyday I would get my little grocery bag and go sit in the yard pulling large clumps of it out. I bet I have filled over 30 bags in the past 2 mon... read moreths and I'm no where near finished! The trick is to gather it up like a pony tail and pull it up.

It will also inhibit your grass from growing in those areas because it's like an umbrella that pushes everything out of its way and blocks the light. I have huge bare patches in the yard now from where it was pulled. My only saving grace is that I have St. Augustine and it will fill in. What a mess!

On May 4, 2005, desertqueen from Dallas area, TX (Zone 7b) wrote:

Queen Anne's Lace is in the Umbelliferae plant family (carrot family) and is a food source for beneficial insects. Keep Queen Anne's Lace in your garden, it will attract beneficial insects. The beneficial's will gobble up all the pesky insects and do the work for you! Plants in the Umbelliferae family are known to attract those helpful insects. Queen Anne's Lace is a gardener's friend.

On Jun 13, 2004, melody from Benton, KY (Zone 7a) wrote:

Although it spreads like wildfire, I enjoy Queen Anne's Lace everywhere I see it. I've never seen it so thick that it crowds out other plants, instead, it's a lovely addition to a wildflower meadow and along roadsides.

It does set an amazing number of seeds, but if you want to control it, simply snip off the blossoms after they fade, but before the seed matures.

A mature seed head will close up upon itself and turn a brownish color. This gives it one of it's other common name's, Bird's Nest Plant.

On Jun 2, 2004, wilbur533 from Sedro Woolley, WA wrote:

Last year one grew in my greenhouse. It got started in the raised bed where I had some ginger root from the grocery store planted.I let it grow. I thought it was Ginger Root. I thought the store people had sold me a type of Ginger Root that didn't look like the pictures in the plant books. Nine feet tall and six feet wide. WHAT A PRETTY PLANT!!!
Now they are 6 inches tall from the cracks in the sidewalk to roof height in good soil. About 50 of them. Very pretty, v
ery invasive.
Sedro Woolley, Washington

On Aug 23, 2003, mlucas from Central Lake, MI wrote:

I live in Northern Michigan and Queen Anne's Lace is in abundance. It can be used as a home remedy in tea or as
a poltice or eaten in salads. It can be toxic in large qunities. Lots of sites world wide. Go to askjeeves.com and type in daucus carota in search box. It also has hallucinogenic properties in the seeds

On Aug 12, 2003, davecwik from Smiths Creek, MI wrote:

many in those 35 states prefer to call it a wildflower