WESTERN YARROW
File Size: 97 KB
 
Achillea millefolium  L.
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 8-36 inches
Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Flowering Period:   June, July, August, September
Stems: Erect, solitary or loosely clustered, few-branched, woolly-hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, fern-like, stalked below to sessile above, lanceolate in outline, deeply pinnately divided 2-3 times, 1 to 6 inches long, .25 to 1.25 inch wide, gradually reduced above, grayish-green, woolly; margins deeply dissected; fragrant when crushed.
Inflorescences: Cyme-like, flat-topped or rounded, many-flowered, terminal.
Flowers: Heads about 1/4 inch wide; bracts overlapping, margins straw-colored; ray florets usually 5, about 1/10 inch long, white or rarely pinkish; disk florets 10-30, corollas tube-shaped, yellowish to creamy-white.
Fruits: Achenes, oblong, glabrous, flattened, without bristles and scales, enclosing small seed.
Habitat: Dry prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, and partially disturbed areas.
Distribution: Throughout Kansas.
Forage Value: Unpalatable to cattle but is fair forage for sheep and deer.
Uses: Native Americans used yarrow for a wide variety of medicinal purposes, including remedies for coughs, colds, throat irritations, toothaches, respiratory diseases, and to treat wounds and stop bleeding.
Comments: Yarrow was supposedly named for Achilles of Greek legend, who is said to have used it to treat battle wounds. Western yarrow is hardy, surviving well during drought conditions.

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Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Western yarrow
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Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Western yarrow
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Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
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Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
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