Welcome to Catnapin's

White Wildflower Gallery

Wild Carrot and the Like

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 from 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)

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 from the Mediterranean)

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 - Edwards Plateau)

Asteraceae (Compositae) - Sunflower family

Yarrow (Western Yarrow, Common Yarrow, Minifoil) Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis

Dense cluster of white flowers.  Fern-like leaves on one or two stalks, from rhizomes.  Drought tolerant and can become invasive.  Was used to heal wounds, flavor beer, and as a snuff.  Today it is used to treat colds and allergies.

Flower photos taken by Sonnia Hill in Van Zandt County, Texas, October 2006

Leaf photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, October 2006

(Native of Texas)

Email    wildflowers"at"catnapin.com

to reduce spam, change "at" to @

please be specific