pulicide

[prettygoodword]

pulicide - n., a chemical agent that kills fleas.


From Latin pulex, flea, + caedo, to kill. Now what I want to know is, is fleabane a pulicide?

---L.

Comments

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

...is fleabane a pulicide?

Which fleabane?

In my experience, no, nor does it discourage them particularly. The New World plants called fleabane (Erigeron family) grow best in the same dry, sandy places that are favored by fleas and sleeping animals.

Old World fleabane, Pulicaria, very probably has an effect if it carries a name like that, but I have no experience of it.

This has come up in our house in the past as we wondered how such a deceptive name was attached to the Erigerons: they superficially resemble the Pulicarias.

[larryhammer]

Name transference would explain a few things.

---L.