Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 381 



YARROW; MILFOIL (Achillea Millefolium) is one 

 of the most common of our wayside weeds. Its gen- 

 eric name is applied because the mighty Achilles 

 formerly used an Old World yarrow for healing the 

 wounds of his soldiers. The leaves and their juices 

 are still used in this and other countries in medicinal 

 remedies and for their healing properties. 



The stem is stout, gray-green usually simple, or 

 forking near the top. The leaves, alternating along 

 and clasping the stem, are soft and feathery, deeply 

 and finely bipinnatifid. 



The flowers grow in very compact, flat-topped clus- 

 ters at the top of the stem. Each flower head has a 

 center of short, tubular, yellowish florets that turn 

 brown or grayish as they grow old; they are sur- 

 rounded by from four to six round, white rays. In 

 some localities these ray florets, that, by tlxe way, are 

 pistillate, vary in color through pink to a deep crim- 

 son. This latter color is most apt to occur near the 

 seacoast. I have met with it most frequently on 

 Cape Cod. 



Yarrow is a very hardy plant; we may find it 

 thriving beside roads where the dust has killed near- 

 ly every other living thing. Its leaves have a strong, 

 not unpleasant, aromatic odor. 



MAYWEED; CHAMOMILE (Anthemis Cotula) 

 (EUROPEAN) is also a common weed found by the 

 wayside in company with the last species. The stem 

 is very branchy, 8 to 20 inches high. The leaves are 

 very finely divided. The strong, unpleasant odor of 

 the foliage will at once correct the impression that it 

 may be a daisy. The flowers are very similar to 

 those of the common White Daisy except for their 

 smaller size. Very common about dwellings and 

 along roadsides everywhere. 



