''Achillea'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. The plants typically have frilly

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

and are known colloquially as yarrows, although this

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 con ...

usually refers to '' A. millefolium''. The genus was named after the Greek mythological character

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

, 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.

Description

These plants typically have frilly, hairy, aromatic

. The plants show large, flat clusters of small

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

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 (botany), stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or bu ...

system.

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

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. Growing to tall, it is characterized by small whitish flowers, a tall stem of fernlike leaves, and a pungent odor. The plan ...

'', 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 A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. Sources differ widely as to which should be recognized as species, which merit

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

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 specie ...

maintained by the Kew Botanic Gardens is followed.

Cultivars

The following

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

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 ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

: *''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, temperate areas of Asia, and North America.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 (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species.

Uses

''Achillea'' species and cultivars are popular garden plants.

Gallery

Image:Achillea asplenifolia1.jpg, '' Achillea asplenifolia'' Image:Achilleamillefolium2web.jpg, Yarrow (''

'') Image:Achillea clavenae0.jpg, Silvery Yarrow (''

Achillea clavenae ''Achillea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. The plants typically have frilly leaves and are known colloquially as yarrows, although this common name usually refers to ''Achillea millefolium, A. millefolium''. The ...

'') Image:Achillea ageratum corimbo.jpg, Sweet Yarrow ('' Achillea ageratum'') Image:Achillea filipendula detalle corimbo.jpg, Fernleaf Yarrow ('' Achillea filipendula'') Achillea millefolium (52354).jpg, Macro image of Yarrow in Sweden File:Achillea sp. fum (13).jpg, Yarrow inflorescence at seed maturity File:Achillea sp. fum (14).jpg, Yarrow inflorescence at seed maturity File:Achillea sp. fum (19).jpg, Yarrow inflorescence after seed fall File:Achillea sp. fum (12).jpg, Natural growing of Achilleas

References

{{Authority control Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus