Common Yarrow Other Common Names: Yarrow, Western Yarrow, Milfoil Scientific Name: Achillea millefolium Native to Alabama: Yes
	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Sally and Andy Wasowski Click on image to enlarge it

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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vasuclar plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 2 - 3 feet high and 2 - 3 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center                      Norman G. Flaigg         Click on image to enlarge it

 






















 

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Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:
Butterflies	Native Bees	Caterpillars	Other Pollinators
		Painted Lady

 

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Maintenance Notes
Dormant in winter. Can spread aggressively. Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase. Deadheading after initial flowering will tidy the plant and encourage additional bloom. Plants may also be cut back to basal foliage after bloom. Can be pruned back severely. Self-seeds regularly.
Can be unattractive at end of summer after blooming. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds.  Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires average amount of water.
Dry soil: water once per week.

 

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Habitat Requirements
This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day) Part Sun/ Shade (2-6 hours of sun per day)		Prefers dry soil	Well-drained, Sandy, or Loamy

 

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Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification
LEAF DESCRIPTION				Wikipedia Alpsdake   Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (JPG)
Shape: Lanceolate	Margin: Lobate	Arrangement: Alternate	Form: Double Compound
Description:
Leaves are 3 – 5 inches long with many leaflets on each side of middle vein and those are further divided into smaller leaflets; lace or fern-like appearance; leaves are evenly distributed along the stem, with leaves near the bottom and middle of the stem being largest; leaves have varying degrees of hairiness

         

FLOWER DESCRIPTION				Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Terry Glase   Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)
Color: Yellowish-white	Shape:     Saucer-shaped		Bloom Months: April - July
Description:
Large, compact, flat-topped cluster of 1 or more flower head; each flower head is made of 20-3-8 white-yellow ray florets (narrow, petal-like, infertile floret that surround the disk) and 10-20 white-yellow disk florets (tubular, fertile floret that forms disk)

  

SEED DESCRIPTION			USDA PLANTS database Steve Hurst   Click on image to enlarge it
Type: Fruit - Winged Seed Pod	Description: small, light tan, winged	Months in Seed: Summer
Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots Underground rhizomes spread and create new clumps of plants

 

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Plant Life Cycle
Plant Life Cycle: All plants start life as a seed. The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots. The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground. After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
	General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime Click on image to enlarge it
Plant Life Cycle continues: After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed. When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again. Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.
	Minnesota Wildflowers Katy Chayka Click on image to enlarge it

   
      

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

 

Quick Fact Sheet (Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign: Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign: Editable Word Doc

QR Code (Links to this Webpage)

  

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INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT
 

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database
Alabama Plant Atlas		North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Missouri Botanical Garden		Native Plant Trust Go Botany

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