Yarrow is not only a medicinal plant that has been popular for centuries, but is also popular as an edible ingredient in wild herb salads. Since it sometimes has dangerous “doubles” in nature, an exact identification of the plant is very important.
How can you identify yarrow for sure?
Yarrow can be recognized by its finely pinnate, alternately arranged leaves and the flowers arranged in umbels. Also pay attention to their sweet smell and the typical location such as roadsides.
Identifying yarrow by its flowers
The large family of yarrow subspecies is now widespread almost worldwide and, in addition to the well-known white form, also occurs in numerous color variations. During the flowering period, you can partly recognize the yarrow by the characteristic, sweet smell that the individual flowers, which are arranged in umbels, exude. However, inexperienced herb collectors and children sometimes confuse the flowers with those of spotted hemlock and giant hogweed, which can have fatal consequences due to the poisonous content of these lookalikes. The flowers of the yarrow vary slightly in appearance from subspecies to subspecies.
The leaves as a good identification feature for the yarrow
While there is a certain similarity in the inflorescences of the yarrow's doppelgangers, the leaves are usually a fairly clear identifying feature for the yarrow. The leaves of the yarrow appear very fine and delicate in their elongated shape. They are alternate, which means that they alternately branch off to the side of the plant's stem. The pinnate leaves grow in a round rosette shape from the yarrow's perennial survival organ. The aromatic leaves can be eaten fresh in small quantities or used as a soup green.
Basic identifying characteristics of yarrow
While giant hogweed is significantly larger than yarrow as a fully grown plant, confusion still sometimes occurs with children or during the growth phase in spring. To be on the safe side when identifying plants, various characteristics should always be taken into account:
- the plant height
- the heyday
- the hairiness of stems and leaves
- the exact shape of the leaves
- the smell
- the location
Yarrows are often found along roadsides and exude a rather sweet and quite pleasant smell.
Tip
Collect yarrow for drying as tea only if you can identify it with certainty. Otherwise, simply ask herbalists for help or rely on yarrow tea from the pharmacy.