Sneezewort

Sneezewort is an attractive perennial plant that thrives on clay and tolerates acidic soils.
Many other common names have been given to this wildflower including Sneezeweed, Bastard Pellitory, Wild Pellitory, and White Tansy.

Basic Information

Anatomy

This downy perennial wildflower, typically 30 cm tall but occasionally exceeding 0.5m, has a pungent scent (hence its common name). The flowers have eight, sometimes more white (never pink) barrel-shaped petals (outer rays) around a disc of tubular florets.

Ecology and Habitats

Sneezewort is most often found on damp acid grassland and frequently beside streams, especially on heavy clay-based soils. Other sites where you are likely to find Sneezewort include heathland, watermeadows and marshes.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Bridesmaids at weddings tend to carry posies of Sneezewort in the belief that doing so would ensure a happy life for the bride and groom.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Chewing the roots of Sneezewort was a recommended treatment (if not a guaranteed cure) for toothache - although whether the offending tooth was to be sneezed out of its socket remains unclear! In the past, dried and powdered leaves from this plant were been used as a 'sneezing powder'

Scientific Name

Achillea Ptarmica

Origin/Ancestry

Berghen