All About Queen Anne's Lace
The Daucus carota plant is often called Queen Anne’s Lace because its small white flowers grow upward, resembling lace fabric. Each white flower of the plant is paired with a single red flower, which is referred to as Queen Anne’s blood because she pricked her finger while making lace. This unique tiny red flower is created to attract insects. Prior to blooming, the leaves of Queen Anne’s Lace look similar to the leaves of the common vegetable carrot. During the second year of growing, the plant grows stalks with flat-topped white flowers. Originally native to moderate climates in Europe, the bi-annual Queen Anne’s Lace plant is found throughout the United States.
Medicinal Uses
The plant is derived from the carrot plant, and the leaves, seeds and roots of Queen Anne’s Lace have been used medicinally over the years, namely as a birth control method because ingesting the leaves can delay menstruation. Some people also use Queen Anne’s Lace to treat muscle strains and sprains, kidney stones, tonsillitis, intestinal parasites, some skin conditions, water retentions and gallstones. Extreme caution is advised when ingesting any part of Queen Anne’s Lace because the plant is strikingly similar looking to the highly poisonous Water Hemlock plant. Even a tiny bit of Water Hemlock is enough to be fatal.
Growing Queen Anne’s Lace
The plant is easy to grow. The tiny seeds of wild plants easily are blown across fields, creating a large landscape of lace. All you need to do to populate your area is to spread a handful of seeds around, and you will have plenty of the plants the following year. If you want to plant them within a garden space, spread the seeds within the bounds of the garden area. The plants don’t require any maintenance and will thrive in any soil condition and dry climates. Queen Anne’s Lace does require full sun to thrive.
