Tirades of abuse and condemnation have been heaped upon the Wild Carrot by farmers whose fields and pastures have been overrun by this prolific immigrant from Europe and Asia. It is doubtful, however, if the farmer knows, or even whether he cares, that this species is said to be the original of the very carrot that he regularly cultivates. Scrapings from the strongly scented roots have been applied as a local stimulant for wounds. The round, slender, hairy, biennial stalk grows erect from one to three feet from a deep, conical root. It is a light green in colour, and very finely ribbed. The lower leaves are exceedingly fringy, being very much cut and divided, and the upper ones less so. Their surface is rough, and the colour is yellowish green. The foliage is sparse and occurs at distant intervals. The tiny, white, usually five-parted flowers have minute, yellow-tipped stamens, and are densely clustered in many small, flat wheels that are again grouped in a symmetric, flat-topped disk. The central flower of each disk is often dark or purplish, and occasionally all of the flowers have a delicate purplish tinge. The outer florets are largest. The flowers are set on slender stems that radiate from a common centre, and about which is set a whorl of narrow, pointed bracts. On account of their white, fleecy, geometric design, they have a decidedly lacelike appearance. As the fruit ripens, the floral disks or umbels curve upward and form a hollowed nest or basket-like head. This plant is extremely common east of the Mississippi, in fields and waste places, from June to September.

WILD CARROT. QUEEN ANNE's LACE. Daucus Carota.