Yarrow for a white umbel

Yarrow and Poison hemlock — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.

YarrowAchillea millefolium

Poison hemlockConium maculatum

Deadly mix-upForage

Achillea is a flat, ferny aster, not an umbel. People still call any white roadside head ‘yarrow’ — and some of those heads are hemlock.

Yarrow leaves are finely divided, aromatic, and alternate on a tough stem; the head is a cluster of tiny daisies, not an umbel. Hemlock is a true parsley-family umbrella. If you cannot see the little daisy discs, it is not yarrow.

Compare plates Print pair

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.