Achillea nobilis



Achillea nobilis, the noble yarrow, is a flowering plant in the sunflower family. It is native to Eurasia, widespread across most of Europe (except Scandinavia and the British Isles) and also present in Turkey, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. It is reportedly present in Xinjiang Province in western China, but this is based on a single herbarium specimen collected in the 19th century. The species is widely cultivated and has become naturalized outside of its range in North America and other parts of the world. Achillea nobilis has creamy-whitish or yellow flowers, and resembles common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) except with more flower heads that are smaller. The leaves of Achillea millefolium are much more finely dissected into needle-like segments.

The medium green foliage forms a low-growing clump in early spring and in late spring produces flowering stems that grow up to 30 in tall; the stems end in flat flower clusters (umbels). The foliage and stems are covered with soft hairs.