Achillea ageratum | |
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LC[1]
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Achillea |
Species: | A. ageratum
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Binomial name | |
Achillea ageratum | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Achillea ageratum, also known as sweet yarrow,[2] sweet-Nancy,[3] English mace,[4] or sweet maudlin,[5] is a flowering plant in the sunflower family. it was originally native to Switzerland, before spreading across Europe (to Portugal, Spain, France, England, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Croatia and Romania), and Morocco.[4][6] In the United States the plant is cultivated in the state of New York for its pleasant fragrance and sparingly naturalized in a few places outside its native range.[1][7]
In the Middle Ages it was used as a strewing herb to repel insects such as moths, lice and ticks and spread a good smell in private rooms.[8] The leaves can be chopped and used raw as a herb, or added with other herbs to soups and stews.[9] Modern uses of the herb include its use as a flavouring, as a dried flower, and as an ornamental herb.[4]
The species was first given a species name by Carl Linnaeus and published in his Species Plantarum 1753.[1] Achillea is a reference to the Greek hero Achilles, who was trained to used herbs by his mentor, the centaur Chiron.[4] The flowers last for a relatively long period, hence the inclusion of ageratum in the species name.[5]
The plant grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches (300 to 460 mm). A hardy perennial, it can be identified by its narrow and serrated leaves, and clusters of small, cream-coloured flowers.[4]