Asteraceae
Achillea

Achillea millefolium L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 899 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Greenland, Subarctic & Temp. Eurasia. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used as animal food, a poison and a medicine, has environmental uses and social uses and for food.

Descriptions

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 2220–3500 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Cundinamarca, Meta, Putumayo, Tolima.
Habit
Herb.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, shrubland, native grassland, artificial - terrestrial.
Vernacular
Colchón de pobre, Flor de pluma, Manzanilla de los montes, Mil de rama, Milefolio, Milenrama, Yarrow, Yerba de carpintero
[UPFC]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
cola de reina, colchón de pobre, flor de pluma, hierba del carpintero, mielenrama, milderama, milefolio, milenrama, yerba del carpintero
[UNAL]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 2220 - 3500 m.; Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba
[CPLC]

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Perennial, 10–100 cm tall
Morphology Stem
Stems obtuse-angled, woolly-pilose
Morphology Leaves
Cauline leaves similar to basal, sparingly pubescent to glabrescent, basal leaves linear to lanceolate, including petiole (up to 5 cm), (6–)10–20 × (0.5–)1–4 cm, (2–)3–pinnatisect into linear to linear- lanceolate segments, rachis 0.5–1.5 mm broad, rarely toothed, ultimate segments 0.2–0.5 mm broad, median cauline leaves 4–9 × (0.7–)1–1.5 cm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula 50–100+, corymbs 4–15 cm broad, pedicels 1–5 mm; involucre oblong to ovoid, 4–5.5 × 2.5–4 mm; phyllaries oblong to lanceolate, subacute to acute, margins narrow, scarious, ± brownish, subglabrous
Ray
Rays 4–6, white, 1.5–2.5 mm long
Disc
Disc florets 10–20.
Ecology
In the mountains, on metamorphic rock, and also in fields; alt. 1200–2000 m;
Phenology
flowering & fruiting: Jun.-Aug.
Distribution
Rare in the central sector of the lower thorn-cushion and upper forest zones of Iraq. Most of Europe (except Mediterranean region), Turkey, Caucasia, Iran, C Asia to Siberia and Himalaya. Pink-rayed forms (the source of much of the horticultural colour range in cultivars stems from the British Isles) are present in several parts of the distribution of this species but not apparently in Turkey or Iraq.
[FIQ]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/202909/78457012

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Poisons
Poisons.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

unknown
milfoil, yarrow

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Art and Illustrations in Digifolia

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. (Eds). (2013-2019). Flora of Iraq, Volumes 5.1, 5.2 and 6.0. Kew Publishing
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0