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Daucus carota
Parsley family possibly wild carrot or hemlock I can't tell. It smells like a carrot also.
Southeast USA in chalky soil under cedars.
I believe you can tell them apart by the stem. Queen Anne's Lace has a hairy stem and smells like a carrot. Poison Hemlock (which I think is what is in the image) does not have a hairy stem and does not smell like carrot.
Good question. But first as a rule of thumb, if you are looking for wild edibles I wouldn't recommend eating anything your not 100% sure about. As for telling the difference, it's more difficult because there is no flower stalk, which means it's likely a first year plant and the tap root will taste better and be less wood-like. If there was a flower stalk, check it for hairs. Queen Ann's Lace is very similar to carrots and is edible as well, both carrots and QAL have a fuzzy stalk ("the queen has hairy legs" is a good way to remember this.) Since this one doesn't have that feature, we need to look at the leaves. Carrot leaves are more spread out in clumps, where hemlock is more densely leaved. Here's a great video that will help you more than I can https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUWQeYM2....
Skip to around 4:25 where he starts talking about carrots and hemlock.
Spotted on Sep 3, 2014
Submitted on Sep 3, 2014
