Millefolium Miller; Ptarmica Miller.

Herbs, perennial, usually rhizomatous; indumentum of basifixed or sometimes submedifixed hairs. Leaves alternate, pinnatilobed to pinnatisect, rarely entire. Synflorescences cymose, usually ± flat-topped panicles, rarely capitula few together or solitary. Capitula relatively small, heterogamous, radiate, rarely homogamous and discoid. Involucres oblong, ovoid, or hemispheric; phyllaries in 2 or 3 rows, scarious margins brown- or yellowish white. Receptacle flat to convex, conical or rarely much elongated, paleate. Marginal florets in 1 row, female, fertile; lamina white, pink, red, or yellow, rather short and wide, occasionally absent. Disk florets yellow or pink, bisexual, corolla tubular, apex 5-lobed, ± winged, flattened, basally slightly saccate around achene especially adaxially. Anther bases obtuse, apical appendage lanceolate. Achenes dorsiventrally flattened with 2 lateral ribs. Corona absent.

Achillea sibirica Ledebour subsp. subcartilaginea Heimerl (Denkschr. Kaiserl. Akad. Wiss., Wien. Math.-Naturwiss. Kl. 48(2): 188. 1884; A. subcartilaginea (Heimerl) Heimerl, Acta Horti Gothob. 12: 254. 1938), described from Japan and reported from Shaanxi (Giraldi 2943; Limpricht 2803), may be a form of A. alpina. The taxon was not mentioned in Fl. URSS (26. 1961) or Rast. Tsentral. Azii (14a. 2007).

About 200 species: mostly in Europe and temperate Asia; 11 species (one endemic, one introduced) in China.

(Authors: Shi Zhu (石铸 Shih Chu); Christopher J. Humphries, Michael G. Gilbert)