Thursday, June 19, 2014

queen Anne's lace

QUEEN ann's lace or wild carrot This beneficial weed can be used as a companion plant to crops. Like most members of the umbellifer family, it attracts wasps to its small flowers in its native land; however, where it has been introduced, it attracts only very few of such wasps. This species is also documented to boost tomato plant production when kept nearby, and it can provide a microclimate of cooler, moister air for lettuce, when intercropped with it.[citation needed]
However, the USDA has listed it as a noxious weed,[4] and it is considered a serious pest in pastures. It persists in the soil seed bank for two to five years
Queen Anne’s lace herb can reach heights of about 1-4 feet high. This plant has attractive fern-like foliage and tall, hairy stems that hold a flattened cluster of tiny white flowers, with a single dark-colored floret just off its center. You can find these biennials in bloom during their second year from spring on into fall.
(Daucus carota) Queen Anne’s lace is said to have been named after Queen Anne of England, who was an expert lace maker. Legend has it that when pricked with a needle, a single drop of blood fell from her finger onto the lace, leaving the dark purple floret found in the flower’s center. The name wild carrot derived from the plant’s past history of use as a substitute for carrots. The fruit of this plant is spiky and curls inward, reminiscent of a bird’s nest, which is another of its common names.

1 comment:

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