''Pulicaria dysenterica'', the common fleabane, or, in North America, meadow false fleabane, is a species of

fleabane Fleabane is a common name for some flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are in the subfamily Asteroideae: * '' Conyza'' (butterweeds or horseweeds: Astereae) * '' Erigeron'' (Astereae) * ''Inula'' ("yellowheads": Inuleae) * '' Pluchea ...

in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. It is native to Europe and western Asia where it grows in a variety of habitats ranging from semi-arid Mediterranean woodlands to wetter situations. ''Pulicaria dysenterica'' is perennial and can form dense clusters of plants, spreading by its roots. It flowers at its maximum height of about . Leaves are alternately arranged and clasp the stem, which itself contains a salty-

astringent An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin ''adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel, and yerba mansa, a Californian pla ...

liquid. The yellow

inflorescences An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

are typically composed of a prominent centre of 40–100

disc florets Disk or disc may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a geometric shape * Disk storage Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other uses * Disk (functional analysis), a subset of a vector spac ...

surrounded by 20–30 narrow, pistillate

ray florets The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. When setting seed the flower heads reflex. Common fleabane is the main food plant for the Fleabane Tortoise Beetle ( Cassida murraea), and for four micromoths, Apodia bifractella, Ptocheuusa paupella, Dusky Plume ( Oidaematophorus lithodactyla) and Digitivalva pulicariae. Fleabane's common name comes from its former use as an incense to drive away insects. Other past uses include treatments for

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

and unspecified ocular maladies.

References

External links

''Pulicaria dysenterica''
at Plants for a Future
Common fleabane
at Naturespot
''Pulicaria dysenterica''
at Emorgate seeds

External links

dysenterica Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Inuleae-stub