WHITE TANSY 



WHITE TANSY 



Achillea ptdrmica. 



A popular, hardy, perennial herb, much used for cut flowers, appear- 

 ing in gardens principally in its double variety. Naturalized from 

 Europe. Highly prized because of its long blossoming period, extending 

 from June to October. 



Roots. — Perennial, by horizontal or creeping 

 rootstocks. 



Stem. — One to two feet high, glabrous or 

 slightly pubescent, nearly or quite simple. 



Leaves. — Linear or linear-lanceolate, sessile 

 and slightly clasping at base, acute at apex; 

 regularly and closely serrate, sometimes pubes- 

 cent on the veins beneath. 



Flower-heads. — Radiate, white; rays six to 

 twenty; heads in loose corymbs; disk-florets 

 yellow. 



Involucre. — Bell-shaped; bracts ovate-ob- 

 long, imbricated. 



Receptacle. — Chaffy. 



Akenes. — Oblong, slightly compressed; pap- 

 pus none. 



White Tansy. Achillea 



The preferred form of Achillea ptarmica turmka 



is the variety known as The Pearl, in which 

 all the tubular flowers have been replaced with rays and each 

 flower-head becomes a little white rosette. Fortunately in this 

 transformation the plant has lost little, if any, of its wild vigor 

 at the same time that it has gained so greatly in beauty. 



The familiar Yarrow, Achillea millefdlium of the roadside, is a 

 European weed thoroughly naturalized at the North. A variant 

 form with flower-heads of magenta-pink has been transferred to 

 the hardy border; this appears as variety roshum. The typical 

 form was, and perhaps is, still used in that kind of domestic 

 divination of which Scotch and English folk-lore is so full. On 

 Midsummer Eve a bunch of Yarrow under the pillow would bring 

 to the sleeper in dreams the future husband or wife. An old 



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