Minnesota Wildflowers


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Achillea millefolium (Common Yarrow)

Plant Info
Also known as:
Genus:Achillea
Family:Asteraceae (Aster)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; fields, prairies, open woods. roadsides
Bloom season:June - September
Plant height:1 to 3 feet
County distribution (click map to enlarge):Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: 5-petals flat

[photo of flowers] Flat clusters 2 to 4 inches across at the end of branching stems in the upper part of the plant. Individual flowers have 4 to 6 white to pink ray flowers (petals), notched at the tips, and cream colored or pale yellow disc flowers. 

Leaves: alternate compound lobed

[photo of leaves] Leaves are narrow and finely divided, feathery and fern-like, up to 6 inches long and 1 inch across and are progressively smaller towards the top of the stem. The leaves and/or stem are often covered in fine hairs, but not always.

Notes:

According to the county distribution map, Common Yarrow has been found in every Minnesota county except Stevens and Waseca. This does not mean it doesn't exist in those 2 counties, just that no specimen has been collected for the herbarium records. We would like to fill in those gaps so if you are in one of those counties and have come across this plant, consider contacting your county Natural Resources department about collecting a specimen. The Bell Herbarium would appreciate it, I'm sure.

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos by K. Chayka taken in Ramsey County. Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk taken in Anoka and Lake counties.

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Robyn in Litchfield
on: 2010-05-31 18:36:35

It grows all over in Litchfield. A great medicinal herb! God for bruises, burns, radiation, takes pain away from varicose veins, sunburn, but it is renowned for its ability to stop the blood from gushing wounds. Hence it's name "Achillea millefolium", named after the Greek leader of warriors in the Trojan War, who bound the wounds of his warriors with yarrow to staunch the flow of their blood.

Posted by: Nancy
on: 2010-06-20 13:08:33

achillia multifolia is labeled as "native" on your Minnesota Wildflowers site, but as alien in Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to Wildflowers, and on the USDA website. Is this an "oops" or do you have other information on this plant?

Posted by: K. Chayka
on: 2010-06-21 21:38:50

Nancy, thanks for this particular question, as I have asked it myself.

According to Flora of North America ("FNA" is our definitive guide, see efloras.org) this species is native, though morphologically variable. FNA goes on to explain that some early botanists considered the variations separate species, others considered them variations of a single species. It seems now this is a Northern Hemisphere species that has hybridized sufficiently between North American and introduced plants to become a single, variable species.

FNA calls it native. The MN DNR big list-o-plants calls it "undecided", so it's open to debate.

Posted by: JoAnn in Mounds View
on: 2011-05-16 09:56:11

I have it growing in front of my house. It really seems invasive to me. My grass is almost all yarrow in places. One good thing--it mows nicely, and stays green when the grass is turning brown! The underground root system is almost impossible to get rid of.

Posted by: Ruth in Ogilvie
on: 2011-07-14 10:50:58

I have difficulty telling the difference between yarrow and Queen Anne's Lace. I have heard the the Lace is toxic. Is there some distinction to help determine which is which?

Posted by: K. Chayka
on: 2011-07-14 11:09:42

There are a number of differences between these two species that you could look for, such as:

  • QAL has very showy bracts under the flower cluster, yarrow has none
  • yarrow leaves are much more finely feathered, QAL leaves (and leaflets) are much broader
  • yarrow flower petals are all the same size and almost square, with small notches at the tip, QAL petals are rounded at the tips and variable in size

Does that help?

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