Queen Anne's lace is a summer biennial wildflower in the Apiaceae (carrot) family that was introduced from Europe and is considered invasive in some states. It has naturalized in many states and can be found in sun to partial shade along roadsides, old fields, and waste places. The 2 to 4 foot tall umbels of white flowers appear in its second year of growth from mid-summer to mid-fall and have a lacy look. The basal rosette consists of 5-inch long arching leaves with a few leaves occurring alternately up the main stem. Queen Anne's lace is very adaptable to soils and pHs and can grow in sun to partial shade. The long taproot makes it difficult to pull up. It is not recommended to grow this plant in the perennial garden as it can spread aggressively. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant can cause contact dermatitis in some people.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Pinnatisect
Leaf margin
Entire; Lobed
Leaf value
Edible
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Basal and alternate, 2-pinnately divided and deeply cut into numerous narrow segments.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Edible
Flower form
Umbel
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Umbel of small white flowers in a lacy-looking flat-topped cluster; 3-4 in. wide; deep purple floret in the center
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Small, dry, and ribbed with bristly hairs. The compound umbel of fruits folds inward to form a roundish shape that can be blown by the wind and roll across the ground dropping seeds.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Bristly, hairy stem
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe, Eastern Asia and northern Africa
Distribution
It is found in the lower 48 states and parts of Canada.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Leaves; Flowers; Roots; Seeds
Fruit type
Achene
Edibility
Leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds are edible. The young fleshy roots can be cooked or eaten raw, the flower clusters can be french-fried to produce a carrot-flavored dish, the aromatic seed is used as a flavoring in stews, etc. The dried roasted roots are ground into a powder and are used for making coffee.