Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is a strong, aromatic herb used in small amounts in tea blends and occasional savory cooking. Its leaves and flowers are often described as tarragon-like, mildly sweet, and bitter.1 Common yarrow is documented across all six New England states, where it grows in fields, roadsides, open areas, and coastal headlands.2
The plant is perennial and mat-forming, with finely divided leaves, white flower heads, and both fibrous roots and rhizomes. That combination makes it comfortable in the Northeast’s sunny field edges, garden margins, and lean soils; it is hardy enough to spread once established rather than behaving like a delicate annual herb.2 Young leaves are more useful as food than older ones, whose bitterness and resinous aroma become assertive. The flowers can be dried for infusions after the woody stems are removed.13
Yarrow’s aroma comes from volatile oils, while its bitter taste is part of why a little goes a long way. It belongs to the same broad daisy family as many familiar wild greens, but its finely cut foliage and strong scent distinguish it from lookalikes. Washington College describes the whole plant as edible, with leaves and flowers especially used in cooking, but its intensity is a good reason to treat it as a seasoning herb rather than a salad green.1
Yarrow tolerates a wide range of climates and soils and grows well in full sun, including dry and nutrient-poor sites where many garden herbs struggle.3 It can spread by rhizomes, so treat it as a small, deliberate patch rather than a contained annual herb. Native Plant Trust distinguishes the New England populations from the Old World material often kept in gardens, a useful reminder that the name can cover plants with different regional histories even when the food character is similar.2