Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace is in full bloom on a hillside just outside our house. It has feathery, finely divided leaves and a stem that rise 2-4 feet tall. The showy white flower is shaped like an umbrella and is made up of many small flowers in a lace-like pattern. At the center is a purplish-black floret. The root of Queen Anne's Lace is thick and resembles a carrot.

When in bloom, Queen Anne's Lace looks like no other flower; without the showy white umbrella of florets, the leaves of the plant look like those of the domestic carrot and a pair of deadly relatives, poison hemlock and fool's parsley.

The word carrot is Celtic and means red of color; the species name, Daucus, comes from the Greek word dais, which means to burn, signifying Queen Anne's Lace's pungent and stimulating qualities.

Queen Anne's Lace is a member of the Apiaceae, or parsley, family. It is the ancestor of the domestic carrot, and is related to parsley, and the aforementioned poison hemlock and fool's parsley.

Traditionally, tea made from the root of Queen Anne's Lace has been used as diuretic to prevent and eliminate kidney stones, and to rid individuals of worms. Its seeds have been used for centuries as a contraceptive; they were prescribed by physicians as an abortifacient, a sort of "morning after" pill. The seeds have also been used as a remedy for hangovers, and the leaves and seeds are both used to settle the gastrointestinal system.

Grated wild carrot can be used for healing external wounds and internal ulcers. The thick sap is used as a remedy for cough and congestion. The root of Queen Anne's Lace can be eaten as a vegetable or in soup.

Queen Anne's Lace is said to have been named after Queen Anne of England, an expert lace maker. When she pricked her finger with a needle, a single drop of blood fell into the lace, thus the dark purple floret in the center of the flower.

The preceding was culled from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Leadership Program for Teachers website.