common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Common yarrow is one of the most widespread native wildflowers in the western United States, yet native and introduced forms can be nearly impossible to separate by sight. Its fernlike leaves and broad, flat clusters of tiny white or pink flowers make it easy to recognize as a group.

Appearance

Growth form: This aromatic grows up to about 3 ft (0.9 m) tall and spreads by underground stems.
Leaves: The narrow leaves are divided again and again into tiny segments, giving them a soft, fernlike look.
Flowers: Many tiny flower heads form a flat or gently domed cluster. Wild flowers are usually white and sometimes pink.
Flowering time: Depending on U.S. climate and elevation, it can bloom from May into early fall.
Fruit: The small, flat fruits have no fluffy tufts.

Look-alikes

Queen Anne's laceDaucus carota

Queen Anne's lace has one umbrella-shaped cluster made of many tiny white flowers; its mature seed head curls inward like a bird's nest. Common yarrow has many small daisy-like heads grouped into a flatter cluster.

Why they get mixed upBoth have lacy leaves and broad clusters of white flowers.

poison hemlockConium maculatum

Poison hemlock has purple blotches on its smooth stem and larger, triangular lacy leaves. Common yarrow has narrow, finely divided leaves and small flower heads gathered in a flat cluster.

Why they get mixed upBoth can look feathery with pale flower clusters in a distant photo.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: prairies and meadows
roadsides and disturbed ground
open woods
Range: It occurs across the United States from low valleys to mountain ridges. Native western varieties and introduced Eurasian forms overlap and hybridize.
Preferred conditions: It does best in sunny, open ground and handles dry, low-fertility soil, though it can grow in many soil types. In disturbed ground, its spreading habit can make it weedy.
Flowering: Flowers May–Sep
Flowers May–Sep

Growing it

Care: Choose a sunny, well-drained site and give spreading plants room. Many garden have cream, yellow, pink, or red flowers.
Propagation: It reproduces from seed and spreads through underground stems, sometimes forming dense patches.

Name and classification

About the name: Native U.S. varieties such as lanulosa and borealis can look nearly identical to introduced forms.
Varieties and forms: Named garden cultivars extend the flower palette from white and cream to pink, yellow, and red.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: The species name millefolium means ‘thousand-leaved,’ a good memory aid for its finely divided foliage.

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