However, it is such a prolific seeder, it does spread rapidly, and is almost impossible to eradicate. It is an alien, but one of the ones that's been in the US since colonial times. It came across the ocean in sacks of grain, probably with the Pilgrims. It's now established in every State. It's beautiful in the wildflower meadow I am not so sure in the garden. If you want to plant it, easiest way is to gather a handful of the seeds from a plant dying down in the fall. They seem to be everywhere.
But there is also another option. Try an annual named Ammi majus. It's the flower common in the cut flower trade as "Queen Anne's Lace", and is also sometimes called "Bishop's Flower.
Seeds are available in the UK from Meadow Mania. Today, in some parts of rural United States, this herb is used as a sort of morning-after contraceptive by women who drink a teaspoonful of the seeds with a glass of water immediately after sex. The seeds are also used for the prevention and washing out of gravel and urinary stones. As they are high in volatile oil, some find them soothing to the digestive system, useful for colic and flatulence.
Be very, very sure that if you do decide to harvest any part of Queen Annes Lace for consumption that you have the correct plant. It is similar to Hemlock Conium maculatum , a herb which was used medicinally but is now seldom used because of its high toxicity. The Wild Carrot is still very much prevalent, particularly in the US where it was introduced from Europe and is the genetic source of edible carrots.
Wild Carrot is found in sandy or gravelly soils and in wets areas. It is abundant west of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington where it is classed as a Class C noxious weed.
Wild Carrot causes problems in pastures, hay fields, Christmas tree farms, grass seed fields and most other open areas that are not tilled annually. It is an especially serious threat in areas where carrot seed is produced because it hybridizes with the crop and ruins the seed.
Washington state has gone so far as to quarantine the plants to prevent any further escapes into its wildlands and agricultural regions. It is illegal to transport, buy, sell or distribute seed there. Wild Carrot is easy to grow, it prefers a sunny position and a well-drained neutral to alkaline soil. Considered an obnoxious weed by some, it can spread very quickly.
Its root is small and spindle shaped, whitish, slender and hard, tender when young , but soon gets tough, with a strong aromatic smell. Harvest entire plant in July or when flowers bloom, and dry for later herb use.
Collect edible roots and shoots in spring when tender. Gather seed in autumn the fall. There is no record of wild carrot toxicity in the US but in Europe wild carrot has been known to be mildly toxic to horses and cattle. A high concentration of wild carrot in hay is potentially a problem because livestock eat hay less selectively than green forage.
Sheep appear to graze wild carrot without any harmful effect. Find out about some of the myths as to why Queen Anne's Lace is so called click here. This plant is a biennial which grows, in its second year, from a taproot the carrot to a height of two to four feet. The stems are erect and branched; both stems and leaves are covered with short coarse hairs. The leaves are very finely divided; the botanical term is tri-pinnate.
When a leaf is composed of a number of lateral leaflets, it is said to be pinnate or feather-like; and when these lateral divisions are themselves pinnated, it is said to be bi-pinnate, or twice-feathered. The leaves of this plant are like that but some of the lower leaves are still more divided and become tri-pinnate. The lower leaves are considerably larger than the upper ones, and their arrangement on the main stem is alternate.
All of these leaves embrace the stem with a sheathing base. The attractive two to four inch "flower" is actually a compound inflorescence made up of many small flowers. The umbels of the flowers are terminal and composed of many rays. The flowers themselves are very small, but from their whiteness and number, present a very conspicuous appearance.
The central flower of each umbel is often purple. During the flowering period the head is nearly flat or slightly convex, but as the seeds ripen the form becomes very cup-like; hence one of the popular names for this plant is "bird's nest. For more photos click here. Like their domestic cousins, wild carrot roots can be eaten. However, they are only edible when very young. After that, they are too tough and woody.
The flowers are also edible. An online article by Deb Jackson and Karen Bergeron states that "flower clusters can be french fried for a carrot-flavoured, quite attractive dish. Extreme caution must be used when collecting wild carrots; they closely resemble poisonous water hemlock cicuta maculata , poison hemlock conium maculatum and fool's parsley aethusa cynapium , all of which can be deadly.
It was poison hemlock, that Socrates was compelled to take. Fortunately, there is a simple way to tell the difference. How to tell the difference - Both poison hemlock and fool's parsley smell nasty; just roll some leaves between your thumb and forefinger, and smell. Wild carrot, especially the root, smells like you guessed it carrots.
Also, the stem of the wild carrot is hairy, and the stem of poison hemlock is smooth. The first year leaves of the carrot on the left and the leaves of Hemlock on the right. Unrelated to the native evergreen hemlock tree, poison-hemlock can be deadly; it has gained notoriety through its use in the state execution of Socrates.
Poison-hemlock can be confused with wild carrot Daucus carota, or Queen Anne's Lace , as with many other members of the parsley family that resemble it. While poison hemlock is similar to wild carrot, their differences are numerous.
Poison-hemlock has smooth hollow stalks with purple blotches and no hairs on its stems. It can get quite tall, sometimes up to 8 feet or higher. It produces many flower heads in a more open and branching inflorescence. In contrast, wild carrot usually has one red flower in the center of the flower top and is usually about 3 feet tall, or less. Poison hemlock starts growing in the spring time, producing flowers in late spring, while wild carrot produces flowers later in the summer.
Read more about Poison Hemlock here - pdf factsheet. Queen Anne's Lace is also considered toxic. The definition of toxic includes causing harm, detrimental to health etc, but not necessarily poisonous. Therefore contact with the skin can be toxic. Overall, most people classify the wild carrot leaf as "mildly toxic". The leaves contain furocoumarins that may cause allergic contact dermatitis from the leaves, especially when wet. Later exposure to the sun may cause mild photodermatitis.
Carrot seed is also an early abortifacient, historically, sometimes used as a natural "morning after" tea. As I understand it boiling the leaves to make the infusion removes the toxic element, just like nettles - toxic when touched, lovely in a brew. Check out the contraceptive properties click here. Carrots possess strong antiseptic qualities, can be used as a laxative, vermicide worm expelling agent , poultice and for the treatment of liver conditions.
Carrots contain cholesterol-lowering pectin. Department of Agriculture research suggests two carrots a day may lower cholesterol 10 up to 20 percent. Carrots contain anti cancer properties, by way of Falcarinol - read more. Ordinary carrot oil is particularly suitable for dry and chapped skin and helps make the skin noticeably softer, smoother, firmer, and has been used in Europe for decades in baby oil, lip care, night creams, vitamin creams, and body lotions. Mix 4 drops of oil into 2 teaspoons of a carrier oil such as almond or apricot kernel.
Read more. Never rub neat oil directly onto your skin - any pure essential oil can burn. Queen Anne's Lace is an American name, but it also refers to a plant in England, cow parsley - anthriscus sylvestris. The popular title of the Wild Carrot "Queen Anne's Lace" comes from several sources none of which is definitive.
The most popular fables are set out below. She succeeded to the crown on the death of William III. Unfortunately, that is not always a good tell since the dark flower is not always present and is not always visible. Poison Hemlock blooms in clusters photo on right.
Basically, if you are harvesting the plant for salads, make sure to take a whiff before serving your guests. If you smell something bad, wash your hands immediately and consider calling poison control. If you have consumed any of the Poison Hemlock, seek immediate emergency medical attention. Both poison hemlock and water hemlock two of the plants some people confuse with QAL have hollow, smooth stems, so once you confirm solid, hairy stems, you can rule out the poisonous look-alikes.
Additionally, the stems of QAL are green, while the stems of poison hemlock are splotched with purple, and often covered with a white bloom you can wipe away with your fingers. Young QAL flowers are flat umbels. An umbel is a flower cluster where multiple small flowers are borne on stems originating from a central point. As the flowers age, and fruits begin to develop, the flower folds in upon itself.
Some, but not all QAL umbels have a single dark flower at the center of the umbel. You can remember that by saying that Queen Anne pricked her finger while making lace and the dark flower is a drop of her blood. Or you could just remember it without the hokey story. Your choice. This is not a plant for beginning foragers. Once you know the plant, and can recognize it without hesitation, QAL is a versatile wild edible with several tasty parts.
It has fewer florets per cluster than the D. It likes dry ground, rocky to sandy soil, oak forests. Blooming time is April to June. The roots are similar to the D. Eastern tribes ignored it, perhaps, records on them are scant. Only six western Indians seem to have used it.
The Nez Perce and Navajo ate the roots, boiled or raw. A decoction and or a chewed poultice was used to treat snake bite. The Clallam, Cowichan, Saanich and coastal Salish also ate the root. One way to get a steady source of good wild carrot roots is to grow them yourself. They sprout readily. Collect the seeds in the fall and set them out in the spring. Under cultivation they grow large, tender roots.
While the wild carrot root is cream colored to light orange there are a number of varieties including white, yellow, red, purple, green, black, striped and purple on the outside and orange inside. The orange carrot is believed to have been developed in the 16th century in Holland, where patriotic plant breeders developed it to celebrated the Royal House of Orange.
Incidentally, that cultivated carrot you bought or grew? The green tops are quite edible cooked. Add them to a variety of boiled dishes for flavor, or boil them separately and add them to other dishes as greenery. They carried the allusion farther by saying the red flower in the middle is when she pricked her finger and a drop of royal blood fell on the flower. Pusillus is Latin for tiny or puny.
Bring water to boil. Remove from heat. Add flower heads push them down into the water. Cover and steep 30 minutes. Measure 3 Cups liquid into quart pan. Add lemon juice and pectin.
Bring to a rolling boil stirring constantly. Add sugar and stir constantly. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil one minute longer, then remove from heat. Process in hot water bath for 5 minutes. Makes about 6 jars. Roots smell of carrots. Thin and stringy. Aromatic seeds good for flavoring soups and stews. Dried roasted roots can be are ground into a powder and used as a coffee substitute. Iroquois Medical Botany by James W. Page Tons of Eastern tribes eat it and use it medicinally.
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