Achillea clypeolata
Achillea clypeolata, called shield-like yarrow in horticulture, is a perennial plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It has yellow flower clusters and grey-green, deeply divided leaves.[1] Kew accepts the species, named by James Edward Smith in 1813, and records a southern European native range that includes much of the Balkans and France.[2]
Appearance
The Royal Horticultural Society describes a compact, clump-forming plant reaching about fifty centimetres tall. The foliage has a felted surface, and the golden-yellow flower heads form flat clusters up to about seven centimetres across. In cultivation, its flowering season extends from late spring into summer.[1]
A 2012 study examined wild-collected Bulgarian plants and commercial herb material. The author recorded clusters containing numerous small flower heads, each with a few outer ray flowers surrounding a larger group of tubular disc flowers.[3]
Microscopic examination found both glandular and non-glandular hairs on the plant material. The pollen grains had a spiny surface and three apertures. These observations were presented as characters useful for identifying the studied material.[3]
Cultivation
The RHS recommends a sunny position with freely draining soil. It cautions against heavy, wet clay during winter and describes division in spring as a method of propagation. These are horticultural recommendations, rather than measurements of the plant's tolerance at every wild locality.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Royal Horticultural Society. Achillea clypeolata: shield-like yarrow. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Achillea clypeolata. Plants of the World Online. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Nedelcheva, A. (2012). Micro-morphology of Achillea clypeolata: contribution to the pharmacognostical profile. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science 2(8), 165–170, doi:10.7324/JAPS.2012.2828. Accessed 9 October 2026.