Golden Yarrow: misnamed but still very pretty
Golden Yarrow: misnamed but still very pretty
By: Jon Hammond
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Posted by editor Mon Jun 4, 2007 09:52:05 PDT
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0 responses 1 comment There are some wildflowers that grow in such artfully-arranged, well-chosen locations that it can seem as if they were planted there by design, and you almost wonder if they are living remnants of an old neglected garden. A good example of this is an attractive local named Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum).
These compact wildflowers with morning sun-yellow blossoms and lacy, gray-green foliage tend to grow on rocky slopes and next to stones or fallen logs to provide them with a little shelter while anchoring themselves on steep grades. They look as though they were part of a cultivated rock garden and, in fact, they are a great choice for landscapers wanting to incorporate drought-tolerant plants in a rock garden setting.
Golden Yarrow (also called Yellow Yarrow) is a member of the Asteraceae family, the most numerous family in California with over 1,000 representatives. Members of the Eriophyllum genus are collectively referred to as “woolly sunflowers,” which is appropriate because the flowers are reminiscent of sunflowers but the golden-yellow centers are more spiky or “woolly” than true sunflowers.
The most confusing (and slightly annoying) aspect of their common name is the fact that they aren’t really yarrows at all: the yarrows are in the Achillea genus and all of them have flat-topped flower clusters that look as though the plant grew until it hit a glass ceiling and then bloomed.
Golden Yarrow apparently was named by someone who thought that Eriophyllum confertiflorum’s delicate, grayish foliage reminded them of yarrow. So what? Choose another name that hasn’t already been used! Especially since we have a true yarrow with white blossoms that frequently grows in the same vicinity as Golden Yarrow. Plant names weren’t chosen to be deliberately confusing, but it can certainly seem like it…
Nectar-loving insects can often be found mining the bright flowerheads of Golden Yarrow and so they too appreciate this little-noticed plant, even if the tasteful arrangement of compact plants here and there on a rock-scattered slope is lost on the little winged ones.
The green of Spring is fading to the yellow of Summer in the mountains and canyons of the Tehachapi area, so enjoy the remaining wildflowers while you still can.
Have a good week.
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Tue Jun 5, 2007 12:36:53 PDT
I look so very forward to seeing your articles every week....It is a pleasure to know that tehachapi still has wonderful people like you there so hello from Kentucky!!!!!!!!!!!
