''Achillea'' is a
genus of
flowering plants in the
family Asteraceae, known colloquially as yarrows. The plants typically have frilly
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
. The
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
"yarrow" usually refers to ''
A. millefolium''. The genus was named after the
Greek mythological character
Achilles, whose soldiers were said to have used yarrow to treat their wounds; this is reflected by common names such as allheal and bloodwort. The genus is native primarily to
Eurasia and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Description
These plants typically have frilly, hairy, aromatic
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
. 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.
Taxonomy
Carl Linnaeus described the
genus in 1753. The
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...
"yarrow" is usually applied to ''
Achillea millefolium'', but may also be used for other species within the genus.
Selected 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 should be recognized as species, which merit
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
or
variety status, and which ones are merely synonyms of better-established names. For convenience,
the Plant List
The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of plant species ...
maintained by the
Kew Botanic Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...
is followed.
Cultivars
The following
cultivars are recipients of the
Royal Horticultural Society's
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The 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'
Etymology
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.
Distribution and habitat
The genus is primarily native to
Europe,
temperate areas of
Asia, and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Flora of China Vol. 20-21 Page 759 蓍属 shi shu ''Achillea'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 896. 1753.
/ref>
Ecology
''Achillea'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
species.
Uses
''Achillea'' species and cultivars are popular garden plants.
Gallery
Image:Achillea asplenifolia1.jpg, ''Achillea asplenifolia
''Achillea aspleniifolia'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order ...
''
Image:Achilleamillefolium2web.jpg, Yarrow ('' Achillea millefolium'')
Image:Achillea clavenae0.jpg, Silvery Yarrow (''Achillea clavenae
''Achillea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, known colloquially as yarrows. The plants typically have frilly leaves. The common name "yarrow" usually refers to '' A. millefolium''. The genus was named after the Gre ...
'')
Image:Achillea ageratum corimbo.jpg, Sweet Yarrow ('' Achillea ageratum'')
Image:Achillea filipendula detalle corimbo.jpg, Fernleaf Yarrow (''Achillea filipendula
''Achillea filipendulina'', the yarrow, fernleaf yarrow, milfoil, or nosebleed, is an Asian species of flowering plant in the sunflower family, native to central and southwestern Asia (Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Cau ...
'')
Flower on Djurgarden (52354).jpg, Macro image of Yarrow in Sweden
References
{{Authority control
Asteraceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus