Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica)



Those of you who know yarrow might well think that that is what this is, but it's not. It is an Achillea like yarrow but this is a smaller plant with less feathery leaves and larger individual florets.

Flowering in July and August, riversides and wet meadows are good places to look for flowers a bit out of the ordinary and that is where you find sneezewort.

Sneezewort is described as being 'local' and so where it occurs it is usually quite common but finding places where it occurs is a bit more difficult. 

I have no idea why it is called sneezewort but I suspect it has connections to the Great Plague!

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