ACHILLEA

(named after Achilles, who is said to have first discovered the medicinal qualities of this plant). Including Ptarmic a. Milfoil. O RD. Compos itæ. A large genus (about fifty species), containing numerous hardy, border and alpine plants. Flower-heads small, corymbose; involucral scales oblong, often with a shrivelled appearance; receptacle with membranous scales, resembling chaff; ray florets few, sometimes rather large and showy; pappus none. Leaves ternate, simple or compound. All the species are easily cultivated in ordinary garden soil. A. Eupatorium and other large-growing kinds are well suited for borders or groups, whilst the alpine section should be planted on the rockery. A great number of species, although excellent for naturalising in rough shrubberies, are totally unfitted for garden culture. Propagated, during spring, by root divisions, cuttings, and seeds.