Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica) is not a wildflower I see very often so I was delighted to find a few plants of it blooming in a local meadow during yesterday’s wander.

The First Nature website explains its scientific name: Achillea ‘stems from the belief that Achilles used flowers of this genus to cure his soldiers’ wounds; ptarmica … comes from the Greek and means to cause a sneeze’. And, as well as Sneezewort, it has a host of other wonderful common names, including Sneezeweed, Bastard pellitory, Fair-maid-of-France, and Goose tongue.

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