Pulicaria odora is similar to Pulicaria dysentrica but has fewer, larger flowers, fewer branches and, characteristically, the basal leaf rosette remains when flowering. They often grow in the same vicinity as the commoner P. dysenterica. The plants may be solitary or in small groups and do not produce stolons. The flowers have a mild fragrance but the leaves, as other members of the Pulicaria genus, have a pungent aroma and the plants contain a number of essential oils, including thymol, which has antibacterial and antifungal properties.