Yarrow or Sneezewort: how to tell them apart?
Yarrow and Sneezewort look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Sneezewort
Achillea ptarmica
The simplest criterion is the foliage: A. millefolium has leaves deeply divided into very fine, almost feathery segments, whereas A. ptarmica has simple, narrow, toothed leaves.
🍃 Leaves
Very finely divided, almost feathery, aromatic
Narrow, linear, finely toothed, bright green
🌸 Flowers
Small white to pink flower heads in broad flat corymbs
White flower heads 12 to 17 mm across, gathered in a corymb; the species itself does not have double flowers (unlike some garden cultivars).
🍎 Fruits
Small flattened achenes without a pappus
Small dry achenes
🪵 Bark
Upright herbaceous stem, usually branched in the upper part, slightly hairy.
Rhizomatous perennial with upright stems.
📏 Size
20 to 80 cm tall
30 to 80 cm tall
🗺️ Habitat
Meadows, banks, track verges
Damp meadows, gardens, riverbanks, moist soils
⚠️ Toxicity
May cause a skin reaction in sensitive people, especially on contact with the plant.
No notable known toxicity.
🔎 And from the Sneezewort side
A. ptarmica has undivided, narrowly lanceolate, toothed leaves; A. millefolium has deeply pinnate leaves that are much more finely cut.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.