Queen Anne’s lace (pictured above) is one of the first flowers I learned to identify as a child. I\u2019ve always remembered it thanks to the legend surrounding one of its identifying features. As the legend goes, Queen Anne was sewing a piece of lace, when she pricked her finger, and a drop of blood fell in the center. Thus, a good way to tell Queen Anne\u2019s lace wildflowers from the list of yarrow look-alikes is to look for a small purple flower in the center of the umbel\u2014the drop of blood.<\/p>\n
Queen Anne\u2019s lace grows to be about 2 to 4 feet tall. It has finely dissected leaves, white umbel blossoms that emerge in a flat cluster and hairy stems. (Think: \u201cQueen Anne has hairy legs.\u201d) Flowers emerge from April through October. You’ll find them in disturbed areas such as roadsides.<\/p>\n
Queen Anne\u2019s lace is also known as wild carrot, and, as you might suspect, it belongs to the carrot family. In fact, the root is a favorite wild food among foragers, and you can eat it just as you would a carrot. As the plant is a biennial, harvest roots only in the first year. Second-year roots can be woody. The rest of the plant is edible, as well. Throw the flowers in a tea or use them to flavor pickles. Chop up the greens for a stir-fry or salad. You can use the seeds in tea as a diuretic or to relieve gas. You can also use them as a seasoning, similar in flavor to caraway. However, avoid using the seeds if you’re pregnant, as they have a history of use as a contraceptive.<\/p>\n
2. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium<\/em>)<\/h2>\n![\"yarrow](\"https:\/\/img.hobbyfarms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/05133849\/yarrow_Meredith-Leigh-Collins.jpg\")
Meredith Leigh Collins\/Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nYarrow<\/a><\/strong> and Queen Anne\u2019s lace can be easily mistaken for one another. The two wildflowers grow about the same height, in the same areas, at about the same time of year. Yarrow grows about 1 to 3 feet tall and can be found in disturbed areas. It also produces a white (and, on rare occasions, pink) umbel flower head. The blossoms appear to me to be a little more hardy than that of Queen Anne\u2019s lace, which looks more loose and lacy. Yarrow also has finely dissected leaves but with a more feather-like appearance. You\u2019ll see its flowers popping out between May and October.<\/p>\nYarrow is best known as a wound healer\u2014you can literally pluck the flowers out of the field, give them a little chew to macerate them, and then stick them on a bleeding wound to make the blood flow stop. The legend goes that during the Civil War, people used these wildflowers as a poultice to stop the bleeding of wounded soldiers.<\/p>\n
You can also use the aerial parts (flowers, stem and leaves) internally\u2014dried, fresh or tinctured\u2014in many ways. Yarrow can help regulate menstrual cycles in women. In combination with other herbs, it can treat colds and flu. It also helps treat hay fever, high blood pressure and circulation issues.<\/p>\n
3. Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum<\/em>)<\/h2>\n![\"poison](\"https:\/\/img.hobbyfarms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/05133822\/poison-hemlock_TJ-Gehling.jpg\")
TJ Gehling\/Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOf the wildflowers on this yarrow look-alikes list, properly identifying this one is most important because the name doesn\u2019t lie\u2014eating it can be fatal. Unfortunately, as a member of the carrot family, it looks like many other edible plants, including Queen Anne\u2019s lace, cultivated carrots and parsley. A farmer friend told me of a friend who raved about \u201cparsley\u201d that \u201csuddenly appeared\u201d in her garden that she\u2019d been nibbling. Knowing that parsley doesn\u2019t tend to \u201csuddenly appear\u201d where it wasn\u2019t planted, my farmer friend asked whether she could see it. Turns out it wasn\u2019t parsley at all, but poison hemlock<\/a><\/strong>. Thankfully, the person and her family hadn\u2019t fallen sick from the bits they\u2019d ingested, but this is a perfect illustration of the need to follow the golden rule of foraging: If you can\u2019t definitively identify the plant, don\u2019t eat it.<\/p>\nPoison hemlock can grow between 2 and 6 feet tall. It has a hollow, grooved stem, nearly as thick as an index finger, with distinctive purple spots. The leaves have a finely dissected appearance typical of those in the carrot family, though the general shape is that of an equilateral triangle. Like Queen Anne\u2019s lace and yarrow, it has white umbel flowers. However, the stalk is highly branched, so you\u2019ll see more umbels per plant on poison hemlock than you will on the other two species mentioned here. Like the other two plants, though, it grows in disturbed areas\u2014I often see it in our area along creek beds or old cattle grazing areas.<\/p>\n
I cannot overemphasize: This plant is extremely poisonous. Merely touching the poison hemlock can cause dermatitis. If taken internally, its toxic alkaloids can affect the nervous or respiratory systems. Even small amounts can result in death. If you find poison hemlock growing in an area where pets or children roam, remove it promptly and carefully. Wear long sleeves, pants and gloves. Dispose of the plant in plastic garbage bags, and do not let the plant touch your skin. Be sure to clean off any tools, such as clippers, you use so that you don’t inadvertently come in contact with the toxic juices. For more on poison hemlock control, visit the website of the University of California\u2019s Integrated Pest Management Program<\/a>.<\/p>\nYarrow Look-Alikes: Foraging Advice<\/h2>\n
Foraging can be fun, but some yarrow look-alikes make it tricky. As you observe what grows in your area, find a guidebook and\/or a plant identification app<\/a> and learn more about what you see or, better yet, follow an experienced forager. Again, never eat something if you can’t identify it with 100 percent certainty.<\/p>\n
Yarrow<\/a><\/strong> and Queen Anne\u2019s lace can be easily mistaken for one another. The two wildflowers grow about the same height, in the same areas, at about the same time of year. Yarrow grows about 1 to 3 feet tall and can be found in disturbed areas. It also produces a white (and, on rare occasions, pink) umbel flower head. The blossoms appear to me to be a little more hardy than that of Queen Anne\u2019s lace, which looks more loose and lacy. Yarrow also has finely dissected leaves but with a more feather-like appearance. You\u2019ll see its flowers popping out between May and October.<\/p>\n Yarrow is best known as a wound healer\u2014you can literally pluck the flowers out of the field, give them a little chew to macerate them, and then stick them on a bleeding wound to make the blood flow stop. The legend goes that during the Civil War, people used these wildflowers as a poultice to stop the bleeding of wounded soldiers.<\/p>\n You can also use the aerial parts (flowers, stem and leaves) internally\u2014dried, fresh or tinctured\u2014in many ways. Yarrow can help regulate menstrual cycles in women. In combination with other herbs, it can treat colds and flu. It also helps treat hay fever, high blood pressure and circulation issues.<\/p>\n Of the wildflowers on this yarrow look-alikes list, properly identifying this one is most important because the name doesn\u2019t lie\u2014eating it can be fatal. Unfortunately, as a member of the carrot family, it looks like many other edible plants, including Queen Anne\u2019s lace, cultivated carrots and parsley. A farmer friend told me of a friend who raved about \u201cparsley\u201d that \u201csuddenly appeared\u201d in her garden that she\u2019d been nibbling. Knowing that parsley doesn\u2019t tend to \u201csuddenly appear\u201d where it wasn\u2019t planted, my farmer friend asked whether she could see it. Turns out it wasn\u2019t parsley at all, but poison hemlock<\/a><\/strong>. Thankfully, the person and her family hadn\u2019t fallen sick from the bits they\u2019d ingested, but this is a perfect illustration of the need to follow the golden rule of foraging: If you can\u2019t definitively identify the plant, don\u2019t eat it.<\/p>\n Poison hemlock can grow between 2 and 6 feet tall. It has a hollow, grooved stem, nearly as thick as an index finger, with distinctive purple spots. The leaves have a finely dissected appearance typical of those in the carrot family, though the general shape is that of an equilateral triangle. Like Queen Anne\u2019s lace and yarrow, it has white umbel flowers. However, the stalk is highly branched, so you\u2019ll see more umbels per plant on poison hemlock than you will on the other two species mentioned here. Like the other two plants, though, it grows in disturbed areas\u2014I often see it in our area along creek beds or old cattle grazing areas.<\/p>\n I cannot overemphasize: This plant is extremely poisonous. Merely touching the poison hemlock can cause dermatitis. If taken internally, its toxic alkaloids can affect the nervous or respiratory systems. Even small amounts can result in death. If you find poison hemlock growing in an area where pets or children roam, remove it promptly and carefully. Wear long sleeves, pants and gloves. Dispose of the plant in plastic garbage bags, and do not let the plant touch your skin. Be sure to clean off any tools, such as clippers, you use so that you don’t inadvertently come in contact with the toxic juices. For more on poison hemlock control, visit the website of the University of California\u2019s Integrated Pest Management Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n Foraging can be fun, but some yarrow look-alikes make it tricky. As you observe what grows in your area, find a guidebook and\/or a plant identification app<\/a> and learn more about what you see or, better yet, follow an experienced forager. Again, never eat something if you can’t identify it with 100 percent certainty.<\/p>\n3. Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum<\/em>)<\/h2>\n
Yarrow Look-Alikes: Foraging Advice<\/h2>\n