Queen Anne's lace

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Queen Anne's lace inflorescence at fruiting and bracts

Queen Anne's lace inflorescence

Queen Anne's lace

Queen Anne's lace

Queen Anne's lace inflorescence

Queen Anne's lace leaf

Queen Anne's lace habit

Queen Anne's lace flowers

Queen Anne's lace inflorescence

Queen Anne's lace

Queen Anne's lace

Queen Anne's lace

Queen Anne's lace inflorescence

Queen Anne's lace leaves

Morphology

Stem

Erect, solitary, sometimes branched, hollow, glabrous to bristly or rigid hairy, often reddish or purplish.

Leaves

Alternate, more than once pinnately divided, fern-like, ovate-lanceolate in outline, 2 to 8 inches long, .8 to 2.8 inches wide; ultimate divisions linear to lanceolate, 1/12 to 1/2 inch long, 1/50 to 1/12 wide, margins entire or few-cleft, tips pointed.

Inflorescence

Umbels, compound, 2 to 6 inches broad, terminal and from upper axils, many-flowered, on stalks 3 to 20+ inches long; rays many, unequal, 1.2 to 3 inches long, spreading to loosely ascending at flowering, curving upward and inward at fruiting; secondary umbels with 5 to 20 flowers; involucre bracts pinnately divided, 1/6 to 1.6 inches long, spreading or bent backward in fruit; segments elongate, thread-like.

Flower

Tiny; sepals absent or minute triangular teeth; petals 5, egg-shaped, white to yellowish-white or occasionally pinkish-white, tip notched; central flower in umbel usually dark purple or rose, sessile.

Fruit

Egg-shaped, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, brown, ribbed, very bristly; segments 2, each 1-seeded.

Ecology

Habitat

Open disturbed areas, roadsides, waste areas, pastures, meadows, along railroads, woodland openings, stream banks, and margins of crop fields.

Distribution

Principally east 3/5 of Kansas.

Reproduction

By seeds

Practical Information

Toxicity

In Europe, it is considered mildly poisonous to horses and cattle.

Forage Value

Unpalatable to livestock. When grazed, it can cause the milk to taste bitter.

Uses

Small mammals and upland game birds eat the seeds. Early settlers were said to have given color to butter with a wild carrot extract. The roots are a source of vitamin A.

Additional Notes