Pentanema britannica, the British yellowhead or meadow fleabane,[1] is a Eurasian species of plant in the daisy family.

[2][3][4] Pentanema britannica is an erect herb up to 75 cm (30 inches) tall, with fine hairs but not the thick woolly coat characterizing some related species.

In North America, this includes Canada (Ontario and Quebec) and the United States (New York, Michigan, Minnesota, and Oregon).

[12] An example of this was how it was discovered in November 1999 within a west Michigan nursery and was found difficult to control after being accidentally imported with Dutch hosta plants.

[14] Observations of Pentanema britannica in various new habitats have led to conclusions that it is capable of thriving in a wide range of temperatures as well as climates, indicated by its presence in Sweden and eastern North America, respectively.

Furthermore, this species was suspected to have been introduced without any natural enemies, which also has been speculated to contribute to its success as an invasive species[15] Within its original habitat as well as new ones, P. britannica is known to infest nursery crops, specifically hostas (also known as plantain lilies) in the Netherlands where their roots and rhizomes become intertwined with the hosta root systems.

Additionally, economic risks have been weighed and taken into consideration, and it has been determined to pose a large one due to the wide range of habitats that it can invade and environmental damage it is capable of causing.

It was not until four years later that the Dutch placed P. britannica on their noxious weed list and began taking aggressive measures to treat infested fields and reject them from export as applicable.