''Achillea'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

, 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 In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's ''Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, k ...

, 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 Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...

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

. The plants show large, flat clusters of small

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s 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 Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds ...

system.

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

described the

in 1753. The

"yarrow" is usually applied to ''

Achillea millefolium ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Other common names include old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort, and thousand seal. The ...

'', but may also be used for other species within the genus.

Selected species

Nearly 1,000 names have been published within the

''Achillea'', at or below the level of

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. 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

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s are recipients of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

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

was named after the Greek mythological character

. 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 Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, temperate areas of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, and

.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

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e 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 (''

'') 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