American Wild Carrot

Daucus pusillus

Found in rocky prairies, open woodlands, pastures, fields, roadsides, waste places. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: Up to about 3 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to wet

Daucus pusillus — flower photograph — (c) Sue Carnahan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or biennial
Bloom: April to May
Fruiting season: May to June

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 1 Virginia county.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

21CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Daucus

Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth

Show all 21

Neodactria caliginosellusCorn Webworm, Corn Root Webworm, Sooty Crambus
Papaipema insulidensRagwort Stem Borer
Papilio polyxenesBlack Swallowtail, Celery Caterpillar, Fennel Worm, Desert Black Swallowtail, Parsnip Swallowtail
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Agonopterix clemensella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Daucus

Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Apiaceae
Flower color: White
Fruit begins: May
Fruit ends: June

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “White” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fruit begins · “May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Height · “Up to about 3 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Annual or biennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “white” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

American Queen Anne''s Lace

Conservation status

Virginia rank	Not available
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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