Description

Yarrow is widespread in California and throughout the northern portions of the Northern Hemisphere (the “circumboreal” region). In California it is only excluded by the deserts of the southeast. Wherever found, yarrow grows as an expanding patch of soft, fragrant, fronds of tiny leaflets (millefolium = a thousand leaves). The flowers arise as umbels of tiny flowers atop a long stalk. In California the flowers are nearly always white. In our mediterranean climate, yarrow naturally goes dormant as the seeds are maturing. By mid-summer only the dry seed heads remain. Where moisture is available, however, yarrow will remain green and thrive year round. Under moist conditions it spreads quite quickly. Yarrow is extremely adaptable, accepting a wide range of soil types, sun exposures, and moisture levels.