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What is Queen Anne's lace?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

$20 off $40

July 26, 2002

Killer Savings: Henry Fields Seed and Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.

Gurney's Seed and Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.

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Spring Hill Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.

Breck's Bulbs -$25 off—>Click herel

Michigan Bulb -$20 off—>Click here.

killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

Suggested Reading—>Click here.

Killer Deals: CARROTS Love TOMATOES, Carrot Collection & more—>Click here.

The carrot (Daucus carota Linnaeus) is the perfect example of centuries of selection. The wild plant has a woody bitter tap-root. The domestic has an orange edible root. Native to Eurasia and Africa; it was probably cultivated long before the Greeks. In John Gerard's time (1597), there were two domesticated varieties; one with a yellow tap-root, the other with red.

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Carrot, TendersweetRave Reviews for Flavor

Gurney's Choice Sweetest carrot on the market! Tapered 7-inch coreless roots. Easy to grow. 75 DAYS.

You don’t have to be a rabbit to love sweet and crunchy carrots. Fresh from the garden, carrots are packed with flavor and nutrients.  Click here - $20 off your first order at Gurneys!  [More Carrots!]  [All Vegetable Seeds!]  [Vegetable Plants!]

The generic name, Daucus, Linnaeus retained from ancient Greek name, daukos; the late Latin name, carota, was apparently a commonly used name in southern Europe. The carrot has been introduced wherever Europeans have settled. The wild carrot probably traveled along in hay and animal bedding.

Mrs. Grieve in A Modern Herbal (1931) reports that carrots, wild and domesticated, were called bird's nest and bees' nest, in reference to the curling of the compound umbel as the seeds dried. It is interesting then, that in North America the wild carrot is referred to as Queen Anne's lace.

The American legend says that Anne of Denmark (1574-1619), queen consort of King James I, was an expert lace-maker. The central flower of the carrot's umbel is reddish-purple. This odd flower was placed upon the umbel for the time Anne pricked her finger and a drop of blood stained the lace. According to Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary the name Queen Anne's lace did not appear in print until 1895, two hundred seventy-six years after Anne's death.

Mrs. Grieve's Herbal may hold a clue to the origin of the legend. "In the reign of James I, it became the fashion for ladies to use its feathery leaves in their head-dresses. A very charming, fern-like decoration may be obtained if the thick end of a large carrot is cut off and placed in a saucer of water...."

This decoration may have had a naughty connotation. Gerard's Herbal (1633) states, "The root boiled and eaten...procureth bodily lust....seed drunke bringeth downe the desired sickness (contraceptive)...also good for the passions of the mother...."


The Kentucky Native Plant Society has a close-up of the umbel of the wild carrot or Queen Anne's lace. To view the photograph, click on the link:

http://knps.org/Wildflowers/queenann.htm

 

killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~

 

Suggested Reading:

How did the coconut lead to tissue culture? Weird Plants - November 22, 2001
What medicinal root is a common vegetable today? Herbal Folklore - November 12, 2001
What vegetable makes a walking stick? Weird Plants - October 30, 2003
How does garlic get its flavor? Weird Plants - April 21, 2005
What is the wolf's peach? Herbal Folklore - November 25, 2002

CARROTS Love TOMATOES

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

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Grub-Away®Nematodes North and South

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Crisp'N Sweet Carrot Collection

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Tops for vitamin A!

You don’t have to be a rabbit to love sweet and crunchy carrots. Fresh from the garden, carrots are packed with flavor and nutrients.

Save $1.25 The Crisp 'N Sweet Collection includes one packet each of the following:

Tendersweet - Sweetest carrot on the market! Tapered 7-inch coreless roots. Easy-care. Approx. 1,500 seeds per pkt. 75 DAYS.

Danvers Half Long - Blocky-topped, tapered roots chunk up nicely at 6 to 7 1/2 inches. More-than-generous yields. Stores well and stays crisp. Approx. 1,500 seeds per pkt. 75 DAYS.

Click here - $20 off your first order at Gurneys!  [More Carrots!]  [All Vegetable Seeds!]  [Vegetable Plants!]


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Carrot, Thumbelina

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Tiny Roots Are Big on Flavor

These bright, little Thumbelina Carrots are bursting with sweet, juicy flavor! Uniform, 2-inch long roots are great for compact soils and containers. Resist cracking. 70 DAYS.  Click here - $20 off your first order at Gurneys!

[More Carrots!]
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Carrot, Envy Hybrid

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

The Best to Eat Fresh!

Delicious, sweet flavor rarely found in such a big carrot! Bright orange, cylindrical roots quickly grow to 12 in. long, even in poor soil. Envy Hybrid Carrots are one of the very best for fresh eating! 66 DAYS.  Click here - $20 off your first order at Gurneys!

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This jumbo table carrot is of the perfect form, shape and sweetness for fresh eating. This carrot has a great taste that normally is not associated with the bib producing type carrots like Chantenay and Danvers. Envy carrot is larger size and great eating quality which sets this carrot a world apart from others. This is an early varietry with exceptional eating quality and better flavor and more improved yield potential. Same bold taste the you find in the baby carrot.


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Carrot, Scarlet Nantes

Gurney's Seed and Nursery®

Up to a Bushel per Packet

Nearly coreless 6-inch carrots--in 9 weeks! Flavor favorite colors up early--a tempting red orange. Scarlet Nantes Carrot are super for snacking, crisp and sweet. Plant extra for the lunch box! 65 DAYS.  Click here - $20 off your first order at Gurneys!

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Coreless. Tapers to a stump end, cylindrical. Top winter storage crop. Holds well in the ground; dig all winter. Durable, strong topped. Good yields.


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Carrots, Kuroda

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery®

68 days-Sweet and very tender!

Large 7-8 in. roots are excellent for fresh eating and the preferred carrot for juicing. Stores well. 68 days.

For a tasty, nutritious snack, it’s hard to beat carrots.

Carrots are rich in vitamin A, needed for healthy eyes, skin and immune system. Plus, carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, which helps reduce the risk of cancer.

Our carrot varieties are tops for yield, color, shape and flavor. Blocky types yield more pounds per row and are recommended for canning, juicing and storing. Slender varieties are excellent for eating fresh.

For continuous crops, seed every 2 weeks early spring through midsummer.  Click here - $20 off at Henry Fields Seed and Nursery!  [More Corrots!]  [All Vegetable Seeds!]  [Vegetable Plants & Roots!]


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Grub-Away® Nematodes

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery®

Non-chemical control for carrot weevils

Beneficial nematodes kill grubs, weevils and other soil dwelling pests, usually within 48 hours. Won't harm beneficial soil organisms. Mix with water and spray. Pkg. treats 200-300 sq. ft.

Note: Shipped at the proper time for your area, or when you specify.

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killerplants Recommended Seed and Nursery Stores
Gurney's for your plants and seeds! Seed and Nursery Co. since 1892!
Michigan Bulb Everything a gardener needs! Breck's Bulbs Since 1818

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