Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Other names: Common Yarrow, plumajillo, gordaldo, nosebleed plant, old man’s pepper, devil’s nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier’s woundwort, thousand-leaf, thousand-seal, arrowroot, bad man’s plaything, bloodwort, carpenter’s weed, death flower, eerie, field hops, gearwe, hundred leaved grass, knight’s milefoil, knyghten, milefolium, millefoil, noble yarrow, old man’s mustard, seven year’s love, snake’s grass, soldier, stanchweed, woundwort, yarroway, yerw.
Family: Asteraceae
Range: temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe, and North America.
Native: Native
Native Habitat: Common yarrow is frequently found in the mildly disturbed soil of grasslands and open forests.
Bloom Time: May to June (I’ve pictures as late as August.)
Notes:
The genus name Achillea is derived from mythical Greek character, Achilles, who reportedly carried it with his army to treat battle wounds. Yarrow was known as herbal militaris, for its use in stanching the flow of blood from wounds.
The English name yarrow comes from the Saxon (Old English) word gearwe, which is related to both the Dutch word gerw and the Old High German word garawa.
Cultivars of this species are used in gardens, and range from white to red. They’re often used in butterfly gardens.
Locations in Photos
- Crescent Beach State Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME
- Libbytown Neighborhood, Portland, ME
- Fort McClary State Historic Site, Kittery, ME
- Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME
- Gilsland Farm, Falmouth, ME
- Hamilton House – South Berwick, ME
- Hudson, MA (near a friend’s house)
- Kennebunk Plains Preserve, Kennebunk, ME
- Kittery, ME
- Mackworth Island State Park, Falmouth, ME
- Molly Stark Trail (Route 9), VT
- Scarborough Marsh, Scarborough, ME
- Tidal Falls Preserve, Hancock, ME
- Two Lights State Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME
3/15/23 Updated to current WordPress format. Added photos and updated gallery format and links 4/26/26.