Achillea is one of the toughest most heat and drought-tolerant of all the perennials I have grown. When other plants are dropping in these the Achillea is basking in it. There are many species and cultivars available and I am STILL just getting started.

The genus Achillea was first described by Carl von Linnaeus in 1753 in Species Plantarum, along with several species. It was of course named after Achilles, the legendary hero of Greek mythology who was very strong, courageous, and loyal.

As of 11-29-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 134 species of Achillea found in many countries throughout the world.

Common names include Yarrow, or Fern Leaf Yarrow, Plumajillo, Gordaldo, Nosebleed Plant, Old Man’s Pepper, Devil’s Nettle, Sanguinary, Milfoil, Soldier’s Woundwort, Thousand-Leaf, and Thousand Seal.

The distribution map above is for all the species in the Achillea genus from Plants of the World Online. Areas in green are where the various species are native and purple is where they have been introduced.

One thing I found interesting is that is was often planted with grass mixtures in pastures. They have deep taproots and the leaves are rich in minerals. It says that it helped with mineral deficiencies in ruminants it was fed to. I offered Achillea to my cows and they just looked at me like I was crazy!

Believe it or not, Achillea has been used as a tea and was even popular as a vegetable in the 17th century. The young leaves were cooked like spinach or in soup. They are said to be sweet with a slightly bitter taste and can be dried and used as an herb in cooking.

Yarrow was once used as part of a herbal mixture known as gruit which was used as a flavoring in beer before the use of hops.

I would like to try more Achillea cultivars in the future.

FOR FURTHER READING
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE
WIKIPEDIA
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA

Achillea millefolium

Achillea millefolium is a quite common wildflower. I found one with pink flowers on a friend’s farm in 2019 which was quite interesting. I was given a start of an old cultivar when I lived in Mississippi and brought them with me when I moved back to the family farm in 2013. Cultivars grow a lot different than the wild species…

Achillea ‘Moondust’

I brought the Achillea ‘Moondust’ home in 2018 and it did great through 2019 but didn’t return in 2020…

Achillea ’Sassy Summer Sangria’

I brought the Achillea ’Sassy Summer Sangria’ home in 2021 and it only lasted one summer… No page for this one…

Achillea ‘Sassy Summer Silver’ PPAF

I put several Achillea ‘Sassy Summer Silver’ in the bed in front of the church I attend in 2019 and decided to bring one home as well. I screwed up and didn’t get it in the ground… I believe one of the plants came up in the church bed in 2020, but not in 2021…

Achillea ‘Strawberry Seduction’

I brought the Achillea ‘Strawberry Seduction’ home when I lived at the mansion in Mississippi in 2012. I brought it with me when I moved back to the family farm in Missouri in 2013 and it survived until the summer of 2014 but didn’t return in 2015…

Achillea tomentosa ‘LoGrow™ Goldie’

Hmmm… I brought this Achillea tomentosa ‘LoGrow™ Goldie’ home in 2019 and put it in the southeast corner bed. It did OK for a while, but being a low grower, it was consumed by taller plants and fizzled out before the summer was over… No page for this one either.