Achillea millefolium L. =Achillea millefolium var.millefolium   Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)   Native   Common Yarrow    White Yarrow

                                             April Photo

Plant Characteristics:  Perennial aromatic herb to 1 m. high with alternate, pinnately dissected leaves, all oriented in the same plane, the lower petioled, 10-15 cm. long, 1.5-3 cm. wide, the upper sessile and not clasping; the primary segms. oblanceolate, the ultimate linear-lanceolate, spinulose tipped; heads many, rather small, in terminal corymbs, radiate; rays 5, female and fertile, white; invol. 4-5 mm. high; phyllaries with light brown margins; aks. compressed parallel to the phyllaries, callous-margined, glabrous; pappus none.

Habitat:  To be expected in lawns, etc. natur. in e. U.S.  Coastal dunes, beaches, headlands; elevations less than 3500 m.  Southern counties, Channel Ids; Baja CA

Name:  The genus was named in honor of Achilles, Greek hero of the Trojan War, who is said to have used it to staunch the wounds of his soldiers.   Millefolium means a thousand leaves.  (Dale 50).  "Yarrow" is a corruption of the Anglo- Saxon gearwe.  (Hatfield 166).

General:  Uncommon in the study area having been found only once prior to 1987 and this on the bluffs below the northerly end of East Bluff.  In 1987 when the horse and bike path was built in Santa Heights, this was one of the plants introduced to that area by hydromulching.  Photographs are from Eastbluff. (my comments).      Tea from the leaves and flowers can be taken for headache and colds and the lotion put on sore eyes.  (Heizer and Elsasser 131).     The Indians in Oregon used A. lanulosa, a native species, for toothache.  A bit of root was inserted in the hollow tooth.  Tea from the root of A. lanulosa was used by the Shosone in Nevada for gas pains.  (Murphy 45).     Yarrow leaves of either A. millefolium, or A. lanulosa, were gathered for various ailments of the reproductive organs.  (Fielder 170).        A tonic brew for loss of appetite and diarrhea was made from the leaves of yarrow, A. millefolium, having mild laxative properties.  Yarrow leaves are sometimes steeped, even in this day, for diseased  conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. (Fielder 114).     A. millefolium, has a styptic quality to stop nosebleed, a fact that gave the name "nosebleed" to the plant as one of its popular names.  (Fielder 81).      Yarrow was probably the most common remedy for earache, simply because it was the easiest to find.  It grows almost anywhere, is easy to identify with its lacy leaves and white small-blossomed heads.  Our worried mothers wadded yarrow leaves moistened with an infusion made of boiling a small amount of yarrow leaves with water, and placed the wad in the ear.  (Fielder 62).      Eczema or rash was said to be cured by application of fresh leaves of the yarrow, A. millefolium.  (Fielder 50).      Sometimes a liquid decoction seems to soothe a throbbing wound better than a paste.  Such an infusion can be made of the leaves of the yarrow.  Steep the leaves as you would a tea, and bathe to lessen a swelling.  This should stop the bleeding of the wound as well. (Fielder 25).      Munz, Calif. Flora, lists several species of Achillea, however, Munz, Flora So. Calif., lists only A. millefolium and several varieties of this plant.  (my comment).      A. millefolium is known to cause dermatitis.  (Fuller 371).      In Sweden it is used as a substitute for hops in the brewing of beer.  Among the superstitious even of the present day, it is regarded as a most potent love-charm, when plucked by a love-lorn maiden from the grave of a young man, while repeating the proper formula.  (Parsons 98).       Hatfield clarifies Parson's statement by adding that the love-lorn maiden would dream of her absent lover. (my comments).        Parsons quotes M. Naudin, a person who had extensive knowledge of the plants of dry countries and recommended yarrow for lawn-making where irrigation is impossible.  “It grows freely in the driest of weather, and makes a handsome turf.  It must be frequently cut, however, to prevent it from throwing up flower stems.  It will not succeed on a lime-impregnated soil.” (Parsons 100).   Parsons was published in 1909.          Yarrow was one of the protective herbs that were garlanded about the home, and the church, on Midsummer's Eve to thwart evil spirits at this time when they were most potent.  (Hatfield 170).        Indians picked and dried the whole plant.  They put a handful of the dried material in a small amount of boiling water and used as a tonic for rundown conditions and indigestion.  The leaves were used as a poultice for rash.  (Sweet 61).      About 100 species in the north temperate zone, a few cultivated for their ornamental flowers and foliage.  (Bailey 991).       Highly variable polyploid complex; leaf size and hairiness especially variable.  (Hickman, Ed. 189).       In North America the species is represented by two chromosome forms.  Because these chromosome types show parallel morphological variation, are indistinguishable on any criteria other than cytology, and intergrade into European forms of A. millefolium, they are here considered to be units of this single large polymorphic species.  (Abrams, Vol. IV 390).       Two or three cups a day of the tea will decrease menstruation or aid in shrinking mild hemorrhoids and colonic polyps.  The fresh leaves are a reasonable effective aid to stimulate clotting in cuts and abrasions.  (Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West 164).       Achilles, foremost Greek hero of the Trojan war, is supposed to be the first that left the virtues of this herb to posterity.  (Meyer 82).      The oil or a decoction will prevent the hair from falling out, if taken internally and applied to the scalp.  (Hutchens 233).

Text Ref:  Abrams, Vol. IV 390; Collins 154; Hickman, Ed. 189; Munz, Calif. Flora 1228; Munz, Flora So. Calif. 106; Roberts 8.

Photo Ref:  Feb 3 84 # 24; April 2 84 # 4.  

Identity: by R. De Ruff, confirmed by F. Roberts.  

First Found:  February 1983.

Computer Ref:  Plant Data 141.

Have plant specimen.

Last edit 5/22/05.  

                              February Photo                                                                     February Photo