Seasonal Wild Flowers

Wild Carrot

Daucus carota sub species Carota

Apiaceae

Queen Anne’s-lace

June to September

It is found throughout the country except for parts of the

North.

See the BSBI distribution map for Wild Carrot

It grows on rough grassland on calcareous soils.

Wild Carrot is a native, biennial herb growing up to 1.5m.

It has stiff, hairy stems and forked bracts.

The flowerheads are white and up to 7cm.

Flowers in the outer umbells have unequal petals.

The central umbel has a prominent red flower.

Fruiting heads have a stiff, twisted appearance and contain

fruits with hooked spines.

Leaves are pinnate, feathery and often tinged grey.

It is similar to, and difficult to distinguish from, Sea Carrot

(Daucus carota sub species Gummifer).

Sea Carrot is most different from Wild Carrot in the West,

in Cornwall and Devon. The differences get progressively

less the further east and north you go.

Previous page: Wild Angelica
Next page: Wild Clary

Wild Carrot flowerhead

Flowerhead with central red flower

Central red flower

Unequal petals of outer umbells

Forked bracts

Fruiting head with spined fruits

Leaves