Habit: Pluchea odorata grows as an herbaceous annual to 150 cm in height. The vegetative growth is covered with a fine glandular pubescence particularly on the adaxial leaf surfaces. The leaves are arranged alternately, to 12 cm in length, ovate to lanceolate with a dentate/crenate margin and acuminate leaf apex.
The actinomorphic flowers are arranged in cyme/corymb/panicle of heads. The heads are subtended by a series of glandular pubescent involucral bracts. The outer, lower bracts ovate and the inner, upper bracts linear. The calyx is modified as hairs forming a pappus. There are both perfect and imperfect (carpellate) flowers in the heads. The perfect flowers are in the center and the imperfect flowers are arranged around the edge of the heads.
The imperfect flowers have 3 pink, fused into a tube, petals and no stamens. The perfect flowers have a corolla with 5, fused into a tube, pink petals. There are 5 stamens. In both types of flowers the ovary is inferior with a single locule but only the imperfect flowers have functional ovules. The fruit is an achene at maturity that retains the modified calyx (pappus).
Habitat: Pluchea odorata grows near and along the edges of Fresh Water areas.
Distribution: Pluchea odorata occurs on all island groupings within the Lucayan Archipelago as well as the entire Caribbean, the southern United States, Mexico south to northern South America. It has also been found as an invasive species in Hawaii.
Medicinal/Cultural/Economic usage: Pluchea odorata is not known to be used medicinally in the Bahamas.