Queen Anne's lace, wild carrot (Daucus carota L.)

Overview:

Queen Anne's Lace is a biennial or shortlived perennial herb of the parsley family which produces a rosette of leaves in the first year of growth and in the second year dies after flowering and setting seed.² Queen Anne's Lace reproduces by seed only and the flowers are self-fertile, but can also be pollinated by insects. Native to western Asia and Europe, Queen Anne's Lace is sometimes believed to be the wild ancestor of the domesticated carrot, however both wild and domesticated carrots co-existed more than 5000 years ago.⁴ Queen Anne's Lace infestations growing near domesticated carrot grown for seed can hybridize with the crop and ruin the seed.³
Seed germination can occur anytime throughout the growing season when sufficient moisture is present. Queen Anne's Lace develops a whitish, cylindrical taproot which is tough and bitter tasting, but with a carrot odour. Flowering occurs July to September. When seeds ripen the umbels contract into the shape of a nest, the seeds falling gradually as weathering occurs.³
Flowers are borne in large umbels (upsidedown umbrellas) which have one or a few purplish florets in the center. Two anecdotal reasons for the common name of Queen Anne's Lace are; the purple floret is the Queen and the white florets make up her collar, or Queen Anne of England pricked her finger while stitching lace and stained the florets with her blood.⁵
Queen Anne's Lace can be confused with wild caraway, another non-native, invasive plant which produces white flowers in umbels. Queen Anne's Lace seeds do not have the odour of caraway when crushed, and wild caraway stems and foliage are smooth and hairless, and the umbels lack bracts.¹

Habitat:

Queen Anne's Lace grows in gravelly or sandy soils in full sun but can also grow in harder clay soils. It does best with some regular precipitation or irrigation. Growth and seed production both decrease with increased shading.³

Identification:

Stems: Are erect, have few branches, and grow to 1 m tall. Stems can be smooth¹ or covered with stiff, white hairs.³
Leaves: Are pinnately compound, covered with coarse, firm hairs, the segments linear to oval, and margins deeply toothed (carrotlike).¹ Lower leaves are stalked, the upper leaves sessile.³
Flowers: White flowers are borne in flattopped umbels on hairy peduncles (stems) up to 30 cm long. The petals of the central flower are often purple-red. Umbels generally measure 5 to 10 cm in diameter. The umbels are surrounded at the base by long bracts.³
Seeds: Seeds are oval, 2-3 mm long,¹ and one side covered with bristly ridges.³

Prevention:

Queen Anne's Lace is often a weed of crops, pasture, and hayfields. Infested hayfields will experience a spurt of Queen Anne's Lace growth after a first cut - any second cut will contain a high degree of mature weed and be a pathway of seed dispersal.³ The spiny seeds can attach themselves to animal hair and aid in seed dispersal. Maintaining vigorous, desirable plant cover can exclude Queen Anne's Lace through competition for light and resources. As with any biennial, control is best done in the first year of growth.

Control:

Grazing: There have been reports from Europe that Queen Anne's Lace can be mildly toxic to livestock. Animals generally avoid it but Queen Anne's Lace in baled forage is a potential problem. Ingestion of large quantities can irritate the digestive tract.^3> Invasive plants should never be considered as forage.
Mechanical: Both mowing and cultivation can prevent seed production and help deplete the seed bank. Frequent cultivation (several times per season) encourages seed germination and then destroys the seedlings before flowering. Mowing before flowering can prevent seed production.³ Hand pulling in loose soils would be effective for small infestations before flowering.
Chemical: Acetic acid, Chlorsulfuron, Dichlorprop (in product combination with 2,4-D), Dicamba, Glyphosate, Hexazinone, Imazapyr, MCPA, and picloram (in product combination with 2,4-D) are registered for use on wild carrot or Queen Anne's Lace. Always check product labels to ensure the herbicide is registered for use on the target plant in Canada by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Always read and follow label directions. Consult your local Agricultural Fieldman or Certified Pesticide Dispenser for more information.
Biological: None researched to date.

References

¹Daucus carota in Flora of Pakistan. www.efloras.org
²Eckardt, N. Element Stewardship Abstract for Daucus carota. The Nature Conservancy. http://www.invasive.org/weedcd/pdfs/tncweeds/dauccar.pdf
³Colquhoun, J., Fitzsimmons, J.P., Burrill, L.C. Wild Carrot. Pacific Northwest extension, Oregon State University. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw447-e.pdf
⁴Daucus carots subsp. sativus. Encyclopedia of Life. www.eol.org
⁵World Carrot Museum. www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/queen.html

Resources

Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service

Selected Images

Maps

EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org

State Lists - This map identifies those states that have this species on their invasive species list or law.

Invasive Listing Sources

Taxonomic Rank

Domain: Eukarya

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Superorder: Asteranae

Order: Apiales

Family: Apiaceae

Genus: Daucus

Daucus carota L.

References

Common Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.

Scientific Name Reference: USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.