[See BANE.] A name given to various plants; esp. a. A book-name for the genus Inula (or Pulicaria), esp. Inula dysenterica and I. Pulicaria.
1548. Turner, Names of Herbes (E.D.S.), 30. Coniza maye be called in englishe Flebayne.
1563. Hyll, Art Garden. (1593), 35. The Gnats also be … chased away with the decoction of the herbe named Flebane, sprinckled on the beds.
1597. Gerard, Herball, II. cxxiv. 391. Conyza from time to time hath been called in English Fleabane.
1640. Parkinson, Theat. Bot., XIV. xv. 1232. Conyza palustris major. The greater Marsh or water Fleabane.
1794. Martyn, Rousseau’s Bot., xxvi. 394. The Flea-banes middle [dysenterica] and less [pulicaria] are of this genus [Inula].
1854. S. Thomson, Wild Fl., III. (ed. 4), 243. The flea-banes (Pulicaria) noted for smoking off fleas, gnats, and ‘hoc genus omne.’
b. A book-name for the genus Erigeron, esp. E. acre (called also blue fleabane).
1813. Sir H. Davy, Agric. Chem. (1814), 364. The fleabane of Canada has only lately been found in Europe; and Linnæus supposes that it has been transported from America, by the very light downy plumes with which the seed is provided.
1820. T. Green, Univ. Herbal, I. 513. English botanists have named it [Erigeron acre] blue-flowered or purple flea bane.
1831. J. Davies, Manual Mat. Med., 220. Philadelphia Flea Bane. Scabious. Erigeron philadelphicum.
1863. Baring-Gould, Iceland, 190. The drier ground was starred with white and pink Alpine flea-bane (Erigeron Alp.), looking like large daisies.
c. Applied to Plantago Psyllium (from the appearance of the seed).
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, I. lxx. 104. This herbe is called in … Latine Psyllium and Herba Pulicaris … in English Fleawurte and Fleabane.
1597. [see FLEAWORT].
