Queen Anne’s Lace photo by Chialla Geib
Daucus carota is the scientific name for the common wildflower, Queen Anne’s Lace. It is also know widely known as Wild Carrot. The paradigm of this flower has a large concave bloom made of smaller white flowers. At the center of this lattice work of white, sits a small red flower. Historically, the name Queen Anne’s Lace comes from Queen Anne of England. The story goes that while weaving, Anne pricked her finger with the needle and a red droplet of blood stained the white of the lace. When dead, however, the bloom curls inward on itself to form a sort of domed teardrop shape. In addition to being beautiful, the Wild Carrot has some traits that are beneficial to humans, as well. It was Hippocrates that first described its use as a contraceptive, and later studies have shown that the seeds interrupt the egg from implanting in the uterine lining.
