Golden yarrow facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Golden yarrow |
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Eriophyllum
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E. confertiflorum
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| Eriophyllum confertiflorum |
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Synonymy
Bahia confertiflora DC. 1836
Bahia tenuifolia DC. Eriophyllum cheiranthoides Rydb. Eriophyllum crucigerum Rydb. Eriophyllum tenuifolium (DC.) Rydb. Eriophyllum tanacetiflorum Greene, syn of var. tanacetiflorum Bahia trifida Nutt., syn of var. trifidum Eriophyllum trifidum (Nutt.) Rydb., syn of var. trifidum |
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The Eriophyllum confertiflorum, often called golden yarrow or yellow yarrow, is a plant found in North America. It belongs to the sunflower family. You can find it growing naturally in California and Baja California.
When this plant is young, its leaves feel soft and woolly. It also grows bright yellow flowers. The name "Eriophyllum" actually means "woolly leaved," which describes its leaves perfectly. People call it "golden yarrow" because its flowers look a lot like the true yarrow plant, which usually has white flowers.
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Where Golden Yarrow Grows
Golden yarrow is a very adaptable plant. It usually grows as a small shrub. You can mostly find it in the Sierra Nevada mountains and the California Coast Ranges. It also grows in Baja California, which is south of California.
This plant can live in many different types of environments. For example, in the Santa Monica Mountains in California, it often grows in open areas away from the coast.
How Golden Yarrow Looks
Golden yarrow plants often grow in large groups or stands. They have many straight stems that can grow taller than 50 centimeters (about 20 inches). One botanist, Nancy Dale, described its growth as "tidy."
The leaves of the golden yarrow grow in an alternating pattern along the stem. When the plant is young, its leaves and stems are covered in soft, white hairs, making them look whitish. As they get older, they turn greenish or gray-green. Each leaf usually has 3 to 5 deep lobes, which are like rounded sections.
Golden Yarrow Flowers
The yellow flowers of the golden yarrow are packed closely together. Each flower head is about 0.94 centimeters (3/8 inch) wide and has a flat top. The name "Confertiflorum" means "densely flowered," which describes how many flowers are in each head.
These plants bloom from January to July. The top of each stem forms a cluster of flowers, called an inflorescence. This cluster can have up to 30 individual flower heads. Each head is a bright golden yellow. It has a large center made of many tiny disc florets and usually a ring of rounded or oval ray florets around the edge.
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces a fruit called an achene. This is a small, dry fruit that has a very short pappus, which is a feathery or bristly structure that helps the seed spread.
Types of Golden Yarrow
There are a few different types, or varieties, of golden yarrow:
- Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum: This is the most common type and grows in most areas where the species is found.
- Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. tanacetiflorum (Greene) Jeps.: This variety is found in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains.
- Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. trifidum (Nutt.) A.Gray: This type grows along the California coast, between the cities of Santa Barbara and Monterey.
