White lace flower

Appearance

Orlaya grows to a height of around 60 to 70cm (24 to 30in), the graceful large flower heads grow to around 8cm (3in) across.

Naming

Orlaya is a genus of flowering plant in the Apiaceae family. It is a small genus of three species - O. grandiflora (Large-flowered, or Great-Flowered Orlaya), O. platycarpus (Broad Fruited Orlaya) and O. maritima. (Sea-side Orlaya).
The genus Orlaya is named for Johann Orlay, a a botanist and physician and literary secretary of the Imperial Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences in Russia, circa 1770-1829.
The species name grandiflora simply means 'large flowered' or 'great flowered'.
Also known as Caucalis grandiflora and Daucus grandiflorus, its common names include Minoan Lace, French cow-parsley and Large-flower Orlaya.

Distribution

The species grandifora is native to large parts of southeastern Europe and Central Asia. It can be found in dry grassy places, vineyards and olive groves in the Mediterranean area. It has much decreased since the 1950's and may now be almost extinct in the wild.