Achillea millefolium, June 18, 2020
Common & scientific name
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Below winter gate, 8,400
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Yarrow is a circumboreal species (distributed throughout the Northern hemisphere, including Europe and Asia). In North America, it is found from the coast, or zero feet in elevation, to the alpine. The genus Achillea was named after Achilles, who used plant extracts to treat soldiers’ wounds in the battle of Troy, a nod to Yarrow’s many medicinal uses. “Millefolium” means “a thousand leaves” in Latin, referring to its feathery, fern-like leaves.
And once again, and you’ll probably get tired of reading this, but it feels awfully early to be seeing this on the Pass in mid-June . . . .