| Common Yarrow |
| Achillea millefolium |
| Family: Asteraceae (Aster) |
| Flowers — color: white, size: 1/8", type: 5 petals |
Common Yarrow has a very complex flower display. Each small bloom looks like a five-petaled flower, but these petals are actually ray florets of the Aster family. The center holds a hemispherical cluster of disk florets, some having an extended stamen with yellow anther.
The umbel [umbrella-like cluster] holds many dozens of 1/8" diameter flowers. Blooms from late spring to early fall. From a distance this flower cluster resembles elderberry, a large shrub scattered through the Reserve.
Habit:
Common Yarrow is a perennial herb growing from a rhizome [persistent horizontal root]. One to many stems may grow to three feet tall, but gardeners find it will lose vigor unless divided every few years. It presents great complexity upon study, from the blooms to the leaves.
The species name means "thousand of leaves". Leaves may reach six inches long and 1.5 inches wide, but become smaller towards the end of a stem. Each feathery leave has a lance-shaped outline but very much fine detail. The leaf comprises many dozens of leaflets. Each leaflet comprises many fine needles and finer hairs. I found this specimen in a clearing in oak woodland on the east side of Dragon Hill.
The genus name honors the warrior Achilles, who learned herbal medicine from Chiron, a centaur. Legend says he bound his soldiers' wounds with yarrow leaves to stanch bleeding. Other groups have used yarrow for fever and pain relief. This yarrow is unrelated to Golden Yarrow.
Observations:
Oak woodland