Sticky Fleabane

Dittrichia viscosa, sticky fleabane, false yellowhead, woody fleabane or yellow fleabane, is a flowering plant in the daisy family. It is a highly branching perennial, common throughout the Mediterranean Basin, with long, narrow, toothed leaves covered in glandular hairs and many yellow flower heads. It was first found mainly in dry riverbeds and abandoned fields up to 1500 metres, and is now common on roadsides and waste ground, even in cities. The page calls it a tough plant, very resistant to adverse conditions, and an invasive species in Australia. The plant is sticky and has a smell most people find unpleasant. It contains an essential oil and has been used in traditional medicine since ancient times, especially in the Levant, as an astringent. On Elba and Corsica fresh leaves are pressed on the skin to heal jellyfish, bee and wasp stings. A yellow dye has been made from its roots since ancient times.