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White Wildflower Gallery

Umbrella Shapes - Parsley Family

     

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) - Parsley family
Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot) Daucus carota
Flat to slightly domed cluster is 4"-6" wide. Cluster is made up of smaller clusters. The center flower of the main cluster is dark red. Old flower clusters cup upward to make a "birds nest". Plant can grow to 4 feet tall. Fern-like leaves are finely cut. This is the ancestor of the modern carrot. It is an invasive species that can be found wild in almost all parts of the USA. The taproot can be eaten, though as it ages the center becomes woody. Plant lives 2 years.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May 2005
(Introduced, native of Europe)

              

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) - Parsley family
American Wild Carrot Daucus pusillus
Flat to cupped flower cluster about 1 1/4" wide. Under the flower cluster are modified leaves that support it. They can be longer than the cluster is wide. Flowers do not last long, then they turn into prickly seed pods. Fern-like leaves are finely cut. Plant grows to 2-3 feet tall.
Photos taken in Coleman County, Texas, May 2004
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May 2005, dry head in June 2005
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Callahan, Coleman, Brown, Coke)

  

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) - Parsley family
Field Hedge Parsley (Spreading Hedge Parsley) Torilis arvensis
Each flower cluster 1/4"-1/2" wide. Petals on outside of cluster larger than others. Fruit is very fuzzy (prickly). Plant can grow 3 feet tall. It survives mowing, leaving a woody stem.
Photos taken in Coleman County, Texas, May 2004
(Introduced, native of the Mediterranean - Coleman, Brown)

Similar Species

Prairie Bishop's-weed (Prairie Bishop, Wild Carrot) Bifora americana
Flowers have five white petals (larger than Hedge Parsley) that spread flat and are grouped in clusters. Several clusters bloom at the end of the stalk. Leaves are thread-like segments. Upright plant 18"-24" tall.
(Native of Texas - Brown)

Knotted Hedgeparsley Torilis nodosa
Tiny flower clusters at leaf nodes. Reclined branches from deep taproot.
(Introduced, native of Europe - Brown)

                    

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) - Parsley family
Bigroot Springparsley Cymopterus macrorhizus
Flower clusters are at the end of a long stem without leaves. Secondary flower clusters grow on longer stems than the original. Winged seedpods, 3/8" tall.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, March 2007, May 2010
(Native of Texas - Taylor, etc.)