Topic summary
Wild carrot
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Daucus carota.
Culture
Wild carrot was introduced into North America by European settlers and has become common; it is often known as "Queen Anne's lace" there. Anne, Queen of Great Britain is the queen after whom the plant is reputedly named, though as a plant name it is not known before 1895, 180 years after her death. It is so called because the inflorescence resembles lace, prominent in fine clothing of the day; the red flower in the centre is said to represent a droplet of blood where Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle when she was making the lace.