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Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Common
Name

Scientific
Name

Plant
Family

Garden
Location

Prime
Season
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium L.
Aster (Composite)
Upland
Early Summer to Late Summer
Other names and notes
Yarrows are plants with 10 to 20 very small flowers of 4 to 6 rays, that appear in flattened dome-shaped clusters. Each flower head resembles a miniature daisy and a flower stalk will produce 500 - 1500 seeds. The leaves are evenly distributed along the stem, clasping, and are lance -shaped but lacy and finely divided. The Garden plants are white flowered and grow one to two feet high, which is typical. Yarrow needs well drained soil and due to its short life span, it should be divided every other year. The fibrous rhizomes divide often making this an easier task. Yarrow is found throughout Minnesota in introduced and native varieties, the natives having more of a gray color cast to the foliage. The genus name is from the Greek warrior Achilles. Legend says he always carried the plant with him to treat wounded soldiers during the Trojan war. Millefolium means a thousand leaves. There are a number of varieties and the plant is readily available in the nursery trade in several colors for home gardens where it does well.
Yarrow
Yarrow
There Yarrow blooms are from the first week of July
 
Yarrow
  

Notes: This plant is indigenous to the Garden area. Eloise Butler catalogued it on May 25, 1907.

Lore and use: There is considerable literature on herbal medicine uses of this plant. Active constituents are a blue volatile oil containing cineol and a bitter principle, achillein. Densmore (Ref. 5) reports that the Minnesota Chippewa used a decoction of the leaves that was sprinkled on hot stones and inhaled as a treatment for headache. The story about Achilles has merit as Native Americans used a poultice of leaves for the treatment of skin wounds, ulcers and fistulas. 15th Century Russian Herbalists found the same use (Ref. 12). Mrs. Grieve furthers this information by noting that ancient herbalists called it Herba Militaris, the military herb. In old England the plant was called Soldier's Wound Wort and Knight's Milfoil. Yarrow tea was considered a remedy for colds. She gives the recipe. Linnaeus recommended bruised fresh leaves as a styptic (back to the Achilles principle) and in Sweden Yarrow has been used in making beer which Linnaeus considered better that beer brewed with hops. (Ref. 7)

  
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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.  
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