A tall delicate looking flower has made its appearance in recent years here in northern New Hampshire. Known as Queen Anne’s Lace, it is a non-native biennial plant said to be a progenitor of the garden carrot. Some states designate it as ‘invasive’ but it’s an attractive enough flower that it can make a nice addition to wildflower bouquets containing other ‘invasives’.
The flowers consist of umbrels of tiny white blossoms with a curious minute purple flower directly in the center which is said to be vestigial. They have no perfume that I can detect (other than a faint musty odor) and the only pollinators I have seen upon it are flies and ants. At first I thought the ants might be herding aphids but close examination of the blossoms showed no sign of aphids. Some garden carrots I planted a second year to see what they would do, produced identical flowers to the Queen Anne’s Lace and had the same visitors.
An alternate name for this plant is Bird’s Nest. When the blossoms go by, they begin curling inwards producing a cup-shaped seed head.
The ‘nest’ has small seeds around the edges with burr-like bristles which can catch on animal fur or clothing and so disperse the seeds.
Commercial carrots do exactly the same thing which is why Queen Anne’s Lace is also known as Wild Carrot. If you dig up the root of Queen Anne’s Lace, you will find a long narrow yellowish tap root with a carroty odor. They are edible but no where near as flavorable as the supermarket carrots. Also it is recommended that only first year plants be used as second year roots will be bitter tasting.
This, of course, brings us to the issue of identification. Queen Anne’s Lace has several toxic look-alikes such as Fool’s Parsley and Poison Hemlock. Various field guides will explain the minor differences which will help you distinguish between them. I use the Peterson Field Guide to Wildflowers but there are many others which are useful. Make sure you can safely identify them all before you begin experimenting with wild edibles. Gathering plants should be a fun project, not a one-way trip to the hospital or morgue.
In addition to its edibility, Queen Anne’s Lace has medicinal properties. It can be used as a diuretic for removing excess water from the body. In addition to being an anti inflammatory, it is helpful for the digestion and is thought to have anti-cancer and contraceptive properties. While little or no research has been done to confirm all the possible benefits of Queen Anne’s Lace, its reputation at least as a diuretic and digestive aid, can make it worth your while to add this to your personal pharmaceutical collection. If you have a garden, you can acquire the seeds of this interesting plant to grow yourself.
Have a happy August!
