by Lydia Holley May 19, 2025, 2025
I like Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) because of a simple childhood memory that has nothing to do with plants. The common name refers to Queen Anne, wife of King James I, not Anne Boleyn, who is the only famous royal Anne I know much about. Being beheaded is obviously more interesting than just being a wife, even if her husband is known for commissioning the English translation of the Bible.
Most every reference says the common name has something to do with Queen Anne, but there are so many stories of how the plant received her name, you could probably make one up and it might be just as accurate.
Unfortunately, Queen Anne’s Lace is not loved by all, and for several reasons. It is not native to the U.S., it has the potential to ruin carrot seed, and it can be an aggressive spreader. In fact, it is listed as invasive in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Washington.
Still, the flowers are large and lovely. When it goes to seed, the flower head closes up upon itself and looks like a miniature bird’s nest. There are two ways to tell for certain you are looking at Queen Anne’s Lace. First, there are curved bracts along the base of the flower. Secondly, and the easiest to spot, is the telling ‘dot’ of red to purple in the middle of its bloom.
Queen Anne’s Lace has many look-alikes. Some are: poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), water hemlock (Cicuta maculata), Bishop’s weed (Ammi majus), water parsnip (Sium suave), and wild caraway (Carum carvi). There is also an American wild carrot (Daucus pusillus) that is similar, although smaller, than Queen Anne’s Lace. But even American wild carrot also does not have the distinctive dot in the middle. Both American wild carrot and Queen Anne’s Lace have seeds that are bristly. That is enough to make me thankful I can enjoy Queen Anne’s Lace along the highways and not in my garden.
A biennial, Queen Anne’s Lace blooms its second year, forms seeds, and dies. It has invaded every state in the continental U.S. and much of Canada. There are several reasons Queen Anne’s Lace has seeded throughout the U.S. One is that its bristly seed can attach itself to birds or animals, allowing its seed to go far. It also is self-fertile, although you may see bees, flies, or other insects helping to pollinate it.
Love it or hate it, Queen Anne’s Lace is probably here to stay.
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