Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - May 16, 2011
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Visual difference between Yarrow and Queen Anne's lace in Austin, TX?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
What is different, visually, between yarrow and Queen Anne's lace?ANSWER:
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium (Common yarrow) and Queen Anne's Lace bear a great resemblance, but botanically they are quite different. They are in different families and their flowering structures are different.
Yarrow is in the Aster family (Asteraceae) and bears variously colored flowers in clusters at the tips of its shoots. Queen Anne's Lace is in the Carrot family (Apiaceae) and bears its white flowers in heads termed umbels at the tips of shoots
Another difference that is easy to see is in the leaves. By comparing the illustrations for Yarrow and Queen Anne’s Lace, you will see that they both have compound leaves, but the attachment of the leaves is different (scroll down to "leaf arrangement"). Leaves of Queen Anne’s Lace have an opposite arrangement while the leaves of Yarrow have an alternate arrangement. The leaves of Yarrow are also more finely divided. In fact, the species name millefolium literally means “ a thousand leaves”. Its kind of like a millipede, but different.
More Plant Identification Questions
Unidentified stalk, possibly manfreda, from San Marcos TX
May 23, 2014 - I had a very weird stalk pop up in my yard in San Marcos TX this month (May 2014) It bloomed very quickly and appears to be a manfreda but there is no rosette, or leaves of any kind - just the thick o...
view the full question and answer
Plant identification
June 23, 2008 - Hi, I live in southeastern PA, and want to identify a wildflower . It about 36" tall, with a showy red spiked flower at the top, appox. 2" in diameter.
Thanks,
Robin
view the full question and answer
Identification of a low raspberry-like plant in New Brunswick
July 09, 2011 - I am searching for a plant I found last year while walking in the woods in early summer. It was a low plant, much like a raspberry, but not on thorny growth and close to the ground. Seems to be on new...
view the full question and answer
Identification of bush with red berries
March 11, 2013 - bush? grows along fence lines in rural areas; sheds foliage in fall; berries appear; colors vary from red to orange, depending on soil?
view the full question and answer
Identity of plant in Kentucky with fuzzy grayish-green leaves
September 03, 2012 - I would like to know about a plant that I do not know what it is.
I had this plant just come up in my flowerbed, that looked like a tobacco plant but the leaves looked like a lambs ear plant. It was ...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |