yarrow

(yăr'ō)

[Middle English yarowe, from Old English gearwe.]

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Yarrow (Achillea millefolium variety lanulosa) (credit: Dennis E. Anderson)

Any of about 115 species of perennial herbs that make up the genus Achillea in the aster family (Asteraceae), native mainly to the northern temperate zone. Some species are cultivated as garden ornamentals. They have toothed, often finely cut, sometimes aromatic leaves. Many small white, yellow, or pink flowers are often grouped into flat-topped clusters, which can be dried for winter bouquets.

For more information on yarrow, visit Britannica.com.

[YAR-oh; YEHR-oh] Any of several very pungent, aromatic herbs found in Europe and North America. Known as milfoil in Europe, yarrow has a very strong aroma and flavor and is therefore used sparingly to flavor salads, soups and occasionally egg dishes. It may also be used to brew a tisane (herb tea).

In Devon and Cornwall, girls wanting to dream of their future husbands would pick this plant at night—some said, from a young man's grave—and put it under their pillows, saying:

Good night, fair yarrow,
Thrice good night to thee,
I hope before tomorrow
My true love to see.

Yarroway, yarroway, bear a white blow [blossom],
If my love love me, my nose will bleed now.

The plant with feathery leaves and strong-smelling white or pinkish flowers (genus Achillea) was known to both the ancient Greeks and Chinese for its attributed powers of healing and divination. In most of the Celtic world yarrow is a fairy herb. Practitioners in the Hebrides held a leaf of yarrow against the eyelids to see the person in one's thoughts. Yarrow roots were also used in snuff-making. In Irish tradition yarrow was known by honorific titles: lus na fola [blood herb] and lus na gcluas [ear herb]. The name Emer may derive from an early Irish form for yarrow. Modern Irish athair thalún [lit. earth creeper]; Scottish Gaelic eàrr thalmhuinn; Manx ayr; Welsh milddail, llysiau gwaedlif; Cornish mynfel; Breton mildelienn.

• Flowering Plants
• Herbaceous Plants
• Weeds

Dansk (Danish)
n. - røllike

Nederlands (Dutch)
duizendblad

Français (French)
n. - achillée mille-feuille

Deutsch (German)
n. - (bot.) Schafgarbe

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) αχιλλεία η χιλιόφυλλος

Italiano (Italian)
millefoglie

Português (Portuguese)
n. - mil-folhas (Bot.)

Русский (Russian)
тысячелистник, деревей

Español (Spanish)
n. - milenrama

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - rölleka

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
西洋蓍草

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 西洋蓍草

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 서양가새풀

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ノコギリソウ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الفيه ( ام الف ورقه - عشب ضار)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אכיליאה אלף העלה (צמח)‬

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