fleabane

/flee"bayn'/, n.

any of various composite plants, as Pulicaria dysenterica, of Europe, or Erigeron philadelphicus, of the U.S., reputed to destroy or drive away fleas.

[1540-50; FLEA + BANE]

* * *

▪ plant

 any of the plants of the genus Erigeron of the family Asteraceae, order Asterales, containing about 200 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbs native primarily to temperate parts of the world. Some species are cultivated as rock garden or border ornamentals, especially E. alpinus, E. annuus, E. aurantiacus, E. karvinskianus, and E. speciosus.

      Fleabanes resemble plants of the genus Aster but have several rows of ray flowers and many overlapping bracts (leaflike structures) below the flower heads. The disk flowers of the solitary or clustered flower heads are yellow; the ray flowers are yellow, purple, pink, or white. Some species have short stems and basal leaves; others are taller, with leaves that alternate along the stem and often are lobed, toothed, or hairy.

* * *