Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Queen Anne's Lace



We have a number of white, umbrella like flowers in our area and keying them out is difficult and a real pain. This is Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) and it's easy to ID by eye as it has a single, very tiny red to violet floret in the center. This is said to be a tiny drop of blood from Queen Anne's finger that she pricked with a needle making the lace although it was probably her hand maid's blood as it's unlikely the Queen would make her own lace. :o)

Often called "Wild Carrot", this flower is common in roadside ditches (dear to my heart!) and fields. The last photo shows the miniscule size of the central floret compared to the tip of a ball point pen. At this magnification, it's very difficult to get both the pen and flower in focus.

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