Daucus carota L.

Queen Anne’s lace, wild carrot, bird’s nest, bishop’s lace

Similar species

	Achillea millefolium	You are here Daucus carota	Heracleum mantegazzianum
Common Name	common yarrow	Queen Anne’s lace	giant hogweed
Plant	Up to 3′ (91 cm) in height. The stem has woolly hairs.	Grows to 3' in height. Plant smells like carrots. There are fine hairs on stems and leaves.	Extremely large: 6½–16′ (2–5 m) tall, sometimes reaching 23′ (7 m). Poisonous : causes phytophotodermatitis. Hollow stems are 1–4″ (3–10 cm) in diameter, with deep purple raised blotches containing white hairs.
Leaves	Feathery, fernlike, bi- and tripinnately divided, attached almost directly to the stem in a spiral pattern. Individual leaves are 1¾–8″ (5–20 cm) long. The leaves are the most obvious identifying characteristic.	Compound leaves are deeply divided and subdivided.	Leaves are up to 5′ (1.5 m) across, extensively divided into sharp-tipped sections.
Flowers	Flowers are flat-topped or umbrella-shaped corymbs 3–4″ (7.6–10 cm) across. Each flower is a composite flower, about ¼″ (6.3 mm) in diameter,	Pale pink before opening. When open, forms an umbrella-shaped flower cluster up to 3" across, composed of tiny 5-petaled flowers.	White flowers form flat-topped compound umbels (flowerheads) up to 2½′ (76 cm) in diameter.
Fruit	Flowerheads turn brown and hard, filled with numerous tiny seeds.	Small, dry, bumpy, oval and flattened, with short styles and hooked spines, as well as protective enveloping hairs.	Each seed is up to ¼″ (8.3 mm) long.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3-9
Habitats	Pastures, grasslands, woodlands, waste grounds, open forests, prairies, fallow fields, pathway edges, subalpine zones, and exposed ridges—nearly anywhere there is full or partial sun.	Very common along roadsides, or in fields.	Rich, moist soils in ditches, stream banks, vacant farmland, and fence and tree lines

	Heracleum maximum
Common Name	cow parsnip
Plant	Up to 6½′ (2 m) in height. Poisonous : causes phytophotodermatitis. Stems are thick, grooved, hollow, hairy, and often reddish.
Leaves	Up to 1′ (40 cm) across, split into sharp lobes that vaguely resemble maple leaves, with a disagreeable odor.
Flowers	Large white compound umbels about 8″ (20 cm) in size. Individual flowers have five petals of inconsistent size.
Fruit	Flat, green, egg- or heart-shaped, ⅜–½″ (9.5–12 mm) × ¼–⅜″ (6.3–9.5 mm).
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Moist, shady mountain woodlands, streambeds

Daucus carota description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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