Plant · GBIF taxon 3120060
common yarrow
Achillea millefoliumAlso known as Milfoil, Soldier's Woundwort, Thousand-Leaf, Nosebleed Plant
Common yarrow carpets meadows and roadsides with feathery, aromatic foliage and flat-topped clusters of tiny, cream-white flowers. These hardy perennial plants support a vast array of native pollinators while stabilizing soils with their spreading rhizomes. Historically valued in folklore for staunching wounds, they release a sharp, medicinal scent when crushed.
PerennialAromaticPollinator-Friendly
—observations
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—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Photosynthetic (sunlight, water, and soil nutrients)
Predators
- Aphids
- Spittlebugs
- Deer
ThreatsHabitat loss from intensive agriculture and over-mowing
HabitatsMeadows, pastures, roadsides, disturbed areas, and open forests
Life spanPerennial (individual plants live 3 to 5 years, spreading indefinitely via rhizomes)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyAsteraceae
- SpeciesAchillea millefolium
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Toxic to pets and has deadly look-alikes; never ingest wild plants based on app identification alone.
- Why it is dangerous
- Contains achilleine and other alkaloids that are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, and closely resembles deadly hemlock species.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Look for feathery, highly dissected leaves and a strong, medicinal scent when crushed, lacking the purple-spotted stems of poison hemlock.
- What to do
- Keep pets away from the foliage and never harvest or consume any part of the plant.
Responsible observation
- Observe the leaves: Look closely at the highly dissected, fernlike foliage that gives the plant its species name, meaning thousand-leaf.
- Check for pollinators: Watch the flat flower heads on sunny days to spot native bees, hoverflies, and butterflies drinking nectar.
- Scent identification: Gently brush the foliage to release the characteristic sharp, herbal aroma that helps distinguish it from toxic look-alikes.
Toxic Look-Alike (c) L.J. Lamera, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by L.J. Lamera · cc-by
Frequent Companion (c) Eleftherios Katsillis, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Eleftherios Katsillis · cc-by
Close Relative (c) nociveglia, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved · cc0
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