This plant seems more common in May 2017, along Rolandvue and around Lake Roland. There are numerous members of the wild carrot family (Apiaceae), some useful as food and some highly toxic. The experienced forager is confident harvesting Queen Anne's lace while the novice, with good reason, worries about the fatal look-a-likes.
The photos show some of the characteristics of the local plant, it may not be strictly Corium maculata but another related species, also toxic. It will not be toxic unless eaten and the cases of human poisoning are rare. There are lacy pinnately compound leaves, umbral flower heads with the unusual single large petal on magnification. The lower stem is red, known as Socrate's blood. An extract of this plant was used in his execution. The stem is hollow. The root seems to be solid rather than chambered and I do not detect any carrot smell. There are no bracts under the umbrals. With magnification the stem is smooth but there are fine hairs at the joints. There are some low ridges.
Different sources do not always agree on the details adding to the uncertainty. I will leave the whole family alone as far as foraging. It is not the much larger related cow parsnip mentioned last year, seen out at Western Run.
This plant rivals the ricin producing castor oil plant in toxicity. Do not use the hollow stem as a straw.
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| Pinnately compound leaves(near center) some what feathery. |
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| Flowering umbral without braces |
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| Hollow stem few small hairs but slightly fluted |
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| The red tinged lower stem ? Socrate's blood |
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| Close-up of individual flowers with single large petal. |
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