Wild Carrot (also known as Queen Anne’s Lace) is an upright, tap rooted herb, reaching 1 to 4 feet tall. It may occur as an annual or short-lived perennial. The species is often a biennial that bears a rosette of leaves its first season. The entire plant is covered with coarse, stiff hairs. Flowers are small, white and borne in compound flat-topped umbels. The umbels are 2 to 4 inches in diameter. They have purple or pinkish flowers in the center. Leaves are fern-like with small toothed leaflets. The segments are linear, or lance shaped. Wild carrot reproduces by seed. Estimates of seed production vary from 1,000 to 40,000 seeds per plant. Wild carrot is similar to other plants in the Apiaceae (carrot) family when young. From a distance, wild carrot (Daucus carota) may be confused with poison hemlock, although wild carrot is smaller and doesn’t have purple blotches on the stems. Wild carrot is listed as a Washington State Class C noxious weed. It outcompetes native grasses for resources. It can taint milk if dairy cows ingest large amounts. It may be mildly toxic to livestock. Wild carrot may cause poor seed production with commercial varieties through hybridization.

Habitat

Queen Anne’s Lace is found in meadows, pastures, roadsides, and waste places.

Management Options

Non-Chemical Management

Hand-pulling or mowing, during the first year when the plants are 7 - 10 inches tall, can be effective.
Establishing and maintaining healthy stands of native, desirable vegetation can reduce wild carrot infestations.
Since wild carrot and commercial carrot are the same species, classical biological control is not a viable option.

Select non-chemical management options as your first choice!

Chemical Management

IMPORTANT: Visit Home and Garden Fact Sheets for more information on using pesticides

Landscape areas

Turf areas

products containing MCPA

Bare ground areas

Images

+ Show larger images


Caption: Queen Anne's Lace Photo by: Jrosenberry1 Creative Commons Alike 4.0
Caption: Queen Anne's Lace Photo by: Bernell
Caption: Queen Anne's Lace Photo by: https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-xwlcd

WSU Extension

Hortsense