It’s mid-September and we approach the equinox. Days shorten. Down by the lakes and ponds though, Common Fleabane is flourishing in the autumn sun and damper ground. What yellow! What vibrance!
This is a plant whose sunny radiance belies its true purpose. Burn the plant and the fumes will drive off fleas! Decoct the flower heads and cure dysentery! Or so it was believed. This, then, is the aptly named 𝑃𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎 𝑑𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎.
The Dutch disagree. For them it is ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑒𝑠, healing leaves, to be applied to wounds.