Wildflower: Yarrow
Common name: Yarrow
Latin Name: Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is a traditional wildflower spotted growing in grassland, with big heads of flat white, dazzling flowers. It is known as a healing plant and is very important in herbal medicine, especially for its powers of cleansing and healing wounds.
It's an example of a wildflower which has been cultivated popularly in gardens, and we have some bright pink varieties in our own herbeaceous borders. The wild variety grows particularly well in our 'wild garden' which is a corner of the garden we filled with apple trees and let nature otherwise take over, apart from cutting a path through with lawnmower.
1. Achillea - from the Greek god Achilles, who was famously wounded in battle (in the ankle), because yarrow was well known as a plant which one would pack onto an open wound to stop it bleeding.
2. Millefolium - meaning a thousand leaves, and pointing to the format of the plant's leaves, which come in the form of hundreds of little rows of fine leaves up and down the stems.
It's English name comes from old German name for the plant - 'Garawa', although it is not known why old German chose this word for it.
Yarrow is a known foodplant for many species of moths, beetles, wasps and other insects. Birds like starlings are known to use it in lining their nests, and experiments have shown that, when used as a nest lining, yarrow reduced the growth of parasites significantly.
Yarrow is also a popular feed plant for grazing animals, and in Australia and New Zealand it is cultivated in agriculture for this purpose.
Yarrow has played an important part in the history of human civilsation and is referred to in most Eurasian cultures' records. It has even been found in the burial sites of neanderthal, showing that even before modern humans existed, it was highly regarded by the human race.
Latin Name: Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is a traditional wildflower spotted growing in grassland, with big heads of flat white, dazzling flowers. It is known as a healing plant and is very important in herbal medicine, especially for its powers of cleansing and healing wounds.
It's an example of a wildflower which has been cultivated popularly in gardens, and we have some bright pink varieties in our own herbeaceous borders. The wild variety grows particularly well in our 'wild garden' which is a corner of the garden we filled with apple trees and let nature otherwise take over, apart from cutting a path through with lawnmower.
Etymology
It's latin name comes from:1. Achillea - from the Greek god Achilles, who was famously wounded in battle (in the ankle), because yarrow was well known as a plant which one would pack onto an open wound to stop it bleeding.
2. Millefolium - meaning a thousand leaves, and pointing to the format of the plant's leaves, which come in the form of hundreds of little rows of fine leaves up and down the stems.
It's English name comes from old German name for the plant - 'Garawa', although it is not known why old German chose this word for it.
Wildlife
Yarrow is also a popular feed plant for grazing animals, and in Australia and New Zealand it is cultivated in agriculture for this purpose.
Folklore
Yarrow has played an important part in the history of human civilsation and is referred to in most Eurasian cultures' records. It has even been found in the burial sites of neanderthal, showing that even before modern humans existed, it was highly regarded by the human race.
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