Common Yarrow

A flowering perennial native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere across Europe, Asia and North America, introduced to New Zealand and Australia. It grows twenty centimeters to a meter tall from a spreading rhizome, with finely divided, fernlike leaves, a pungent odor, and flat-topped clusters of small white to pink flowers. It grows in grasslands and open forests from sea level up to 3,500 meters, favoring well-drained soil and full sun but tolerating poorer conditions, and has long been used for wound healing, as well as in ornamental gardening, companion planting, erosion control and natural dyeing.