Achillea millefolium L., Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 19 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Achillea borealis Bong.; Achillea lanulosa Nutt.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: shi

English: bloodwort, carpenter's weed, common yarrow, milfoil, western yarrow, yarrow

French: achillée mille-feuille, herbe à dinde, mille-feuille

Korean: seoyangtobpul

Spanish: hierba de las cortaduras, milefólio, milenrama, plumajillo

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Rhizomatous perennial herbs 2-5 (-10) dm tall.  Leaves lanceolate to linear, blades 3-15 cm long, 0.5-2.5 cm wide, only the lowermost petiolate.  Involucre 3.5-5 mm high, 2-4 mm in diameter; ray florets usually 3-5 per head, rays white to pink, 2-3 mm long; disk florets 10-20 per head"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 252).

"Perennials, 6-65+ cm (usually rhizomatous, sometimes stoloniferous). Stems 1(-4), erect, simple or branched, densely lanate-tomentose to glabrate. Leaves petiolate (proximally) or sessile (distally, weakly clasping and gradually reduced); blades oblong or lanceolate, 3.5-35+ cm x 5-35 mm, 1-2-pinnately lobed (ultimate lobes ± lanceolate, often arrayed in multiple planes), faces glabrate to sparsely tomentose or densely lanate. Heads 10-100+, in simple or compound, corymbiform arrays. Phyllaries 20-30 in ± 3 series, (light green, midribs dark green to yellowish, margins green to light or dark brown) ovate to lanceolate, abaxial faces tomentose. Receptacles convex; paleae lanceolate, 1.5-4 mm. Ray florets (3-) 5-8, pistillate, fertile; corollas white or light pink to deep purple, laminae 1.5-3 x 1.5-3 mm. Disc florets 10-20; corollas white to grayish white, 2-4.5 mm. Cypselae 1-2 mm (margins broadly winged)"  (Flora of North America online).

Description from the Flora of China online.

Habitat/ecology:  "Pastures, meadows, roadsides, stream sides, woodlands, waste grounds, dry or sandy soils, also in damp, clayey, and salty soils; 0-3600 m"  (Flora of North America online).  In Hawai‘i, "Naturalized from 1,200 to 3,000 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 252).  In New Zealand, "mostly roadsides and waste places, also palustral and coastal sites, pasture, cultivated land, and lawns"  (Healy & Edgar, 1980; p. 156).

Propagation:  Seed, stolons.

Native range:  Circumboreal temperate regions (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 252).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 252) Voucher cited: Rock 10322 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1990) (voucher ID: BISH 588577) Taxon name on voucher: Achillea millefolium L.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1959) (voucher ID: BISH 73154) Taxon name on voucher: Achillea millefolium L.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 31) Vouchers cited: Baumann 16064, MacKee 41091
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 156)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Widely cultivated, locally naturalized.
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 189)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 156)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Achillea millefolium, please let us know.