fleabane

F4L1E1A1B3A1N1E1
US, UK/ˈfliːbeɪn/

noun

mostly in two tribes of subfamily Asteroideae

Similar
Pulicaria dysentericafleabane mullethorseweedCanadian fleabaneConyza canadensisErigeron canadensis
UncommonScrabble 13

Meanings

nounfleabane (plural fleabanes)

plural fleabanes

  1. Any of various species of flowering plants in certain genera in family Asteraceae, that typically repel insects:
    1. mostly in two tribes of subfamily Asteroideae

      “I will bewitch them with flea-bane, blister them with hog-weed,” he said, vainly looking for a suitable spell.

      1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 119
      1 more example

      On a sunny September morning, with the trees still green, but the asters and fleabanes already taking over in ditch and dalk, Van set out for Ladoga, N.A.

      1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin, published 2011, page 120
    2. Conyza spp. (butterweeds or horseweed)
    3. Erigeron spp., especially Erigeron acre (blue fleabane)
    4. Inula spp. (yellowheads)
    5. Pluchea spp. (camphorweeds)
    6. Pulicaria spp. (false fleabane), especially common fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica subsp. dysenterica, formerly Inula dysenterica)
    7. Also, in subfamily Cichorioideae, Vernonia spp. (ironweeds).

Synonyms & antonyms

nounhairy perennial Eurasian herb with yellow daisylike flowers reputed to destroy or drive away fleas

Similar
Pulicaria dysentericafleabane mullet
Broader
herbherbaceous plant

nouncommon North American weed with linear leaves and small discoid heads of yellowish flowers; widely naturalized throughout temperate regions; sometimes placed in genus Erigeron

Similar
horseweedCanadian fleabaneConyza canadensisErigeron canadensis
Broader
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Ancient Greek κόνυζα
  • κόνυζα (kónuza)Conyza
Bulgarian злолетница
  • злолетница (zloletnica)Erigeron (especially E. acre)
Catalan erígeron
  • erígeronErigeron (especially E. acre)
Dutch fijnstraal
  • fijnstraalErigeron (especially E. acre)
French vergerette, encensière
  • vergeretteConyza
  • encensièreConyza
German Berufkraut
  • BerufkrautErigeron (especially E. acre)
Māori porerarua
  • poreraruaErigeron (especially E. acre)
Welsh amrhydlwyd, amrhydlwyd
  • amrhydlwydErigeron (especially E. acre)
  • amrhydlwydConyza
Cite this entry
APA

fleabane. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabane

MLA

“fleabane.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabane. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fleabane,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabane.

Source: fleabane on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.