Yarrow

Scientific Name:

Achillea millefolium

Physical Appearance:

  • Flowers are white and yellow (and sometimes pink) in disk-like clusters

  • No branches except at the very top of the stem

  • Longer, wispy leaves are accompanied by small leaflets

When Does It Grow:

  • Flowers bloom from May to June

  • Only in Spring

Preferred Environment:

  • This plant pops up everywhere!

  • Yarrow can live in extremely high altitudes like at Big Bear

  • Yarrow can also be found in riversides and coastal areas

Method of Reproduction:

  • Relies on active pollinators

Type of photosynthesis:

C3

Medicinal Uses:

  • This one plant can do SOOOO much because of its several biological compounds!

  • Contains minerals used for stop the flow of blood from a wound (Fancy terminology: styptic and hemostatic)

  • Native Americans have used the plant for pain relief, fever reduction, and various blood-related issues  

  • Makes tissue contract (astringent)

  • Stops bacterial growth (antiseptic)

  • Helps tissue heal

  • Anti-inflammatory

  • Ease the pain of menstrual cramping

Role in the Ecosystem:

  • Herbivores and omnivores LOVE this stuff

  • Super vital as an energy source due to its abundance

Random:

  • Variety of nicknames such as the nosebleed plant or old man’s pepper

  • In Spanish speaking areas, it is called “plumajillo” meaning light feather referring to the leaf shape  

  • Fungi in the Glomeromycota family grows between the roots of the Yarrow plant allowing it to retrieve more water, gases, and minerals

    • The fungi also benefit from this as it is able to obtain sugars that are stored in the plant cells