Achillea Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Achillea

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Asteroideae
Supertribe:	Asterodae
Tribe:	Anthemideae
Genus:	*Achillea* L.
Type species
Achillea millefolium L.
Synonyms
Millefolium Mill. Ptarmica Mill.

Achillea is a group of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, known colloquially as yarrows. They were described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. The genus was named after the Greek mythological character Achilles. According to legend, Achilles' soldiers used yarrow to treat their wounds, hence some of its common names such as allheal and bloodwort.

The genus is native primarily to Europe, temperate areas of Asia, and North America. The common name "yarrow" is usually applied to Achillea millefolium, but may also be used for other species within the genus.

Description
Ecology
Cultivation
List of species
Gallery
See also

Description

These plants typically have frilly, hairy, aromatic leaves. The plants show large, flat clusters of small flowers at the top of the stem. The flowers can be white, yellow, orange, pink or red and are generally visited by many insects, and are thus characterised by a generalised pollination system.

Ecology

Achillea species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera that feed on Achillea.

Cultivation

Achillea species and cultivars are popular garden plants. The following are recipients of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

Achillea ageratifolia
Achillea 'Coronation Gold'
Achillea 'Credo'
Achillea filipendulina 'Cloth of Gold'
Achillea filipendulina 'Gold Plate'
Achillea 'Heidi'
Achillea 'Hella Glashoff'
Achillea 'Lachsschönheit' (Galaxy Series)
Achillea × lewisii 'King Edward'
Achillea 'Lucky Break'
Achillea 'Martina'
Achillea millefolium 'Lansdorferglut'
Achillea 'Mondpagode'
Achillea 'Moonshine'
Achillea 'Summerwine'

List of species

Nearly 1,000 names have been published within the genus Achillea, at or below the level of species. Sources differ widely as to which of these should be recognized as species which ones merit subspecies or variety status, and which ones should be relegated to the dustbin of synonymy. For convenience, The Plant List maintained by the Kew Botanic Gardens in London is followed.

Achillea abrotanoides
Achillea absinthoides
Achillea acuminata
Achillea aegyptiaca – Egyptian yarrow
Achillea ageratifolia – Balkan yarrow, Greek yarrow
Achillea ageratum – sweet yarrow, sweet Nancy, English mace
Achillea × albinea
Achillea aleppica
Achillea alexandri-regis
Achillea alpina – Chinese yarrow, Siberian yarrow
Achillea ambrosiaca
Achillea apiculata
Achillea arabica
Achillea armenorum
Achillea asiatica
Achillea asplenifolia
Achillea atrata – black yarrow
Achillea aucheri
Achillea auriculata
Achillea baikalensis
Achillea barbeyana
Achillea barrelieri
Achillea biserrata
Achillea boissieri
Achillea brachyphylla
Achillea bucharica
Achillea callichroa
Achillea cappadocica
Achillea carpatica
Achillea chamaecyparissus
Achillea chamaemelifolia
Achillea cheilanthifolia
Achillea chrysocoma
Achillea clavennae – silvery yarrow
Achillea clusiana
Achillea clypeolata
Achillea coarctata
Achillea collina
Achillea condensata
Achillea conferta
Achillea cretica
Achillea crithmifolia
Achillea cucullata
Achillea cuneatiloba
Achillea decolorans
Achillea decumbens
Achillea distans – Alps yarrow
Achillea erba-rotta – musk milfoil
Achillea eriophora
Achillea euxina
Achillea falcata
Achillea filipendulina – fernleaf yarrow
Achillea formosa
Achillea fraasii – filigree yarrow
Achillea fragantissima
Achillea glaberrima
Achillea goniocephala
Achillea × graja
Achillea grandifolia
Achillea gypsicola
Achillea haussknechtii
Achillea heterophylla
Achillea holosericea
Achillea horanszkyi
Achillea huber-morathii
Achillea × illiczevski
Achillea impatiens
Achillea incognita
Achillea inundata
Achillea japonica
Achillea karatavica
Achillea kellalensis
Achillea ketenoglui
Achillea kotschyi
Achillea laggeri
Achillea latiloba
Achillea ledebourii
Achillea leptophylla
Achillea leptophylloides
Achillea lereschei
Achillea ligustica – Ligurian yarrow
Achillea lingulata
Achillea lycaonica
Achillea macrocephala
Achillea macrophylla – broad-leaved yarrow
Achillea magna
Achillea magnifica
Achillea maritima
Achillea maura
Achillea membranacea
Achillea micrantha
Achillea micranthoides
Achillea millefolium – milfoil, yarrow, allheal, thousand-leaf, bloodwort, carpenter's grass, cammock, green arrow, sneezeweed, nosebleed, green adder's mouth, soldier's woundwort, dog daisy, old-man's-pepper
Achillea milliana
Achillea mollis
Achillea monocephala
Achillea multifida
Achillea nana – dwarf alpine yarrow
Achillea nigrescens
Achillea nobilis – noble yarrow, creamy yarrow
Achillea obscura
Achillea occulta
Achillea ochroleuca
Achillea odorata
Achillea oligocephala
Achillea oxyloba
Achillea oxyodonta
Achillea pachycephala
Achillea phrygia
Achillea pindicola
Achillea pratensis
Achillea pseudoaleppica
Achillea pseudopectinata
Achillea ptarmica – sneezewort, sneezeweed, sneezewort yarrow
Achillea ptarmicifolia
Achillea ptarmicoides
Achillea pyrenaica
Achillea rhodoptarmica
Achillea roseo-alba
Achillea rupestris
Achillea salicifolia
Achillea santolinoides
Achillea schischkinii
Achillea schmakovii
Achillea schneideri
Achillea schugnanica
Achillea sedelmeyeriana
Achillea seidlii
Achillea sergievskiana
Achillea setacea
Achillea sieheana
Achillea sinensis
Achillea sintenisii
Achillea sipikorensis
Achillea spinulifolia
Achillea squarrosa
Achillea stepposa
Achillea styriaca
Achillea × submicrantha
Achillea × subtaurica
Achillea talagonica
Achillea taygetea
Achillea tenuifolia
Achillea teretifolia
Achillea thracica
Achillea tomentosa – woolly yarrow
Achillea tuzsonii
Achillea umbellata
Achillea valesiaca
Achillea vermicularis
Achillea virescens
Achillea wilsoniana – Wilson's yarrow