|Scientific name:||Achillea millefolium L.|
|Nederlandse naam:||Gewoon duizendblad|
|English name:||Yarrow, Soldier's Woundwort, Thousand-leaf|
|Hebrew name:||אכילאה אלף העלים|
|Family:||Asteraceae / Compositae, Sunflower family, Korgblommiga|
|Stems:||Height 20-70 cm, erect flower-bearing stems|
|Leaves:||5-20 cm long, bipinnate or tripinnate|
|Flowers:||White to pink|
|Fruits:||Smooth cypsela (dry single-seeded fruit) without a pappus|
|Habitat:||Coast, pastureland, meadows, farmland, settlements|
|Distribution:||Throughout the country|
Derivation of the botanical name:
Achillea, αχιλλειοϛ (Greek), of Achilles, Greek hero of the Trojan wars; Achillea said to be discovered of medicinal value by Achilles,
millefolium (Lat.) = thousand-leaved, a reference to the finely divided leaves.
Pliny the Elder (23-79CE), Natural History, book XXV:XIX: "Achilles too, the pupil of Chiron, discovered a plant to heal wounds, which is therefore called achilleos, and by it is said to have cured Telephus... This plant is also called by some Heraclean panaces, by others siderites, and by us millefolia; the stalk is a cubit high, and the plant branchy, covered from the bottom with leaves smaller than those of fennel".
In classical times, it was known as herba militaris (Military Herb) because it was used to staunch war wounds.
The salicylic acid in Achillea millefolium has proved to be a good mosquito repellant.
Achillea millefolium attracts hoverflies (Syrphidae), ladybugs (Coccinellidae), damsel bugs (Nabidae) and parasitic mini-wasps.