The cheerful yellow daisy flowers of  common fleabane, Pulicaria dysentrica, look attractive when fresh but quickly become rather scruffy as the seeds develop. The plants have an unfortunate smell, but it was this feature which led early herbalists to believe that smoke from the plants would drive away fleas; there is no scientific evidence to suggest that this was successful and when flowering the plants appear to be very attractive to insects. The species name indicates it was used to treat dysentery.

The plants need moisture to germinate and survive and are generally found in hollows or shady lanes, where i often forms large colonies; it spreads locally by putting out stolons.