Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

WESTERN YARROW

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Achillea millefolium L.

Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 8-36 inches

Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family

Flowering Period: June, July, August, September

Stems:

Erect, solitary or loosely clustered, few-branched, woolly-hairy.

Leaves:

Alternate, fern-like, stalked below to sessile above, lanceolate in outline, deeply pinnately divided 2-3 times, 1 to 6 inches long, .25 to 1.25 inch wide, gradually reduced above, grayish-green, woolly; margins deeply dissected; fragrant when crushed.

Inflorescences:

Cyme-like, flat-topped or rounded, many-flowered, terminal.

Flowers:

Heads about 1/4 inch wide; bracts overlapping, margins straw-colored; ray florets usually 5, about 1/10 inch long, white or rarely pinkish; disk florets 10-30, corollas tube-shaped, yellowish to creamy-white.

Fruits:

Achenes, oblong, glabrous, flattened, without bristles and scales, enclosing small seed.

Habitat:

Dry prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, and partially disturbed areas.

Distribution:

Throughout Kansas.

Forage Value:

Unpalatable to cattle but is fair forage for sheep and deer.

Uses:

Native Americans used yarrow for a wide variety of medicinal purposes, including remedies for coughs, colds, throat irritations, toothaches, respiratory diseases, and to treat wounds and stop bleeding.

Comments:

Yarrow was supposedly named for Achilles of Greek legend, who is said to have used it to treat battle wounds. Western yarrow is hardy, surviving well during drought conditions.

Western yarrow