Get to Know Your Grasslands: Common Yarrow
Common Yarrow
Chances are if you’ve ever walked through a pasture or stretch of grassland you’ve encountered Common Yarrow whether you realized it or not. This plant has a rich and widespread history not only in Canada but across the world. It is widely found in the grasslands of Saskatchewan so let’s learn a little more about this plant!
Description
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a perennial forb in the daisy family (Asteraceae family). It typically blooms from May to October and is distinguished by its flat-topped appearance with many white flower heads clustered on flowering branches. Its stem is erect, with long wooly hairs, and blue-green soft fern-like leaves that grow alternately up the stem. The fruits have only one seed that is oblong and flattened.
Interestingly, the genus Achillea was named after Achilles because it was said that he used the plant to treat soldier’s wounds in the battle of Troy. This explains its other common name: Soldier’s Woundwort. The species name “millefolium” means “a thousand leaves”.
Habitat, Distribution, and Forage Value
It is naturally found all over Canada, the US, and into Mexico and Eurasia. It thrives in well-drained soils—preferably loam—, but can also be grown in clay soil if conditions are dry. It is a drought-resistant species and it tolerates disturbance, so it can become weedy quickly. It is very common to find at disturbed sites such as road sides for this reason. Its forage value is quite poor and generally, only flower heads are grazed if at all but it has a sharp, bitter taste. Common Yarrow is known as an ‘increaser species,’ meaning that it increases in abundance with greater grazing pressure. It tends to increase rapidly in overgrazed rangelands, and is often an indicator of past overstocking and excessive utilization. However, when grazing ceases, it tends to decrease in abundance.
Medicinal properties
This plant is said to have many medicinal properties. It can help heal wounds, is antibacterial and can relieve pain and inflammation. It can improve circulation, aid digestion, help against the stomach flu, and can initiate menstrual flow. Yarrow is a styptic plant, meaning that it can stop bleeding. It contains alkaloid achilleine which facilitates the coagulation of blood, leading to the rapid closing of a wound. For this reason, it has also been called the “Nosebleed plant”. Moreover, Yarrow helps heal wounds by forming a protective barrier by activating the blood platelets in the affected area, thereby protecting the body from infection-causing bacteria. It also has strong anti-microbial properties due to the terpenes in its essential oil that kill off bacteria when it is applied to the wound. It is said to be ideal for use on minor cuts and burns due to its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties as well.
Indigenous peoples of North America have used yarrow for wounds and burns, as well as using its dried leaves for teas to soothe colds, fevers, and headaches, and much more. The Anishinaabe, of what is now Manitoba, burn Yarrow leaves in smudges to repel mosquitoes, and the oil from the leaves are used to treat wasp bites. Yarrow was also used as a deodorant by the Flathead Indians of Montana who rubbed the flower heads in their armpits. It is a very versatile plant that has been used to treat many ailments.
Common Yarrow is an incredibly versatile plant that calls our grasslands home. From attracting pollinators to its numerous medicinal properties, it can definitely be a plant worth identifying.
Author: Jessica Smith
Barkwell, Lawrence. “Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium) as Medicine.” Metis Museum. Accessed September 4, 2023. https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/148224.Yarrow%20Medicinal.pdf.
Boeckmann, Catherine. “Yarrow.” Almanac, June 28, 2023. https://www.almanac.com/plant/yarrow#:~:text=Plant%20in%20an%20area%20that,not%20tolerate%20constantly%20wet%20soil.
Bruynooghe, Janice, and Ross Macdonald, eds. “Managing Saskatchewan Rangeland.” Native Plant Society Saskatchewan, March 2008. https://www.npss.sk.ca/docs/2_pdf/Managing_Saskatchewan_Rangeland.pdf.
Government of Manitoba. “Yarrow.” Province of Manitoba – Agriculture. Accessed September 4, 2023. https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/crop-management/yarrow.html.
Hallworth, Beryl. “Yarrow.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, February 7, 2006. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/yarrow#:~:text=Yarrow%2C%20common%20name%20for%20some,sibirica.
Indigo Herbs. “Yarrow Benefits.” Indigo Herbs, August 7, 2020. https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/natural-health-guide/benefits/yarrow#:~:text=Yarrow%20is%20known%20as%20a,rapid%20closing%20of%20the%20wound.
The Manitoba Museum. “Prairie Pollination – Common Yarrow.” Prairie Pollination, June 13, 2013. https://www.prairiepollination.ca/plante-plant/herbe_a_dinde-common_yarrow/.
Rey-Vizgirdas, Edna. “Plant of the Week: Common Yarrow.” U.S. Forest Service. Accessed September 4, 2023. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/achillea_millefolium.shtml#:~:text=A%20member%20of%20the%20aster,about%203%20feet%20in%20height.
Saskatchewan Forage Council. Field Guide: Identification of Common Range Plants of Southern Saskatchewan. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Saskatchewan Forage Council, 2007.
USDA. “Species: Achillea Millefolium.” Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). Accessed September 4, 2023. https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/achmil/all.html#69.
Photo Sources:
Single plant photo:
Ceglie, Antonio. “Achillea (Achillea Millefolium L.).” Expartibus: La tua voce, October 4, 2017. https://www.expartibus.it/achillea-achillea-millefolium-l/.
Multiple plants photo:
M, Joseph. “Yarrow: The Healing Herb of Achilles.” Plant profiles in Chemical Ecology, January 30, 2017. https://sites.evergreen.edu/plantchemeco/yarrow-the-healing-herb-of-achilles/.