Puce Puce Puce is a dark red or purple brown color, a brownish purple or a "dark reddish brown." "Puce" is the French word for "flea". The color is said to be the color of bloodstains on linen or bedsheets, even after being laundered, from a flea's droppings, or after a flea has been crushed. The "Oxford English Dictionary" ("OED") dates the first English use of "puce" as a color to 1778. The name comes from the French word "puce", or flea, which comes from the Latin words for flea, "pulicem" or "pulex". According to the "Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology",
Flea beetle cruciferae" and "P. striolata", prefer to leave their hideouts only during warm and dry weather. The German name "Erdflöhe" (literally "earth fleas") refers to their jumping ability and this behavior of hiding in the soil. Flea beetles may be beneficial or may be pests, depending on the species. Many major agricultural crops are attacked by flea beetles, including various cruciferous plants such as mustard and rapeseed (particularly canola in northwestern North America). Numerous garden plants are also subject to flea beetle feeding, such as flowers of "Gardenia" and "Rothmannia" by "Altica" species. Flea beetles execute their most severe attacks during