CautionEdible
Queen Anne’s lace
Daucus carota
Wild carrot. Hairy stem, one dark floret in the white lace, carrot-scented taproot.
- Marks
- Hairy stem; dark central floret; carrot smell
- Size
- 2–4 ft
- Habitat
- Fields, roadsides, worn pastures.
- Season
- June–September.
- Frequency
- abundant
Biennial. Flat white umbel often with a single purple floret in the center. Bracts under the flower are three-forked. Stem is hairy. First-year root smells like carrot.
Uses
Young first-year root cooked like a skinny carrot. Seeds as a spice.
If this is the one
Only eat if you are 100% sure. Poison hemlock is hairless with purple blotches and a bad smell. When in doubt, skip it.
Lookalikes
Poison hemlock
Conium maculatum
Purple-splotched hollow stems, lacy leaves, white umbels. Deadly. Do not touch your mouth after handling.
DeadlyDo not eat