purple loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria L.
Description from Invasive.org
- Appearance
- Lythrum salicaria is a tall, multistemmed (30-50 per plant), perennial forb that can grow up to 10 ft. (3 m) in height.
- Foliage
- The opposite or whorled leaves are dark-green, lance-shaped, sessile, 1.5-4 in. (3.8-10.2 cm) long and round or heart-shaped at the base.
- Flowers
- Flowering occurs in July to October, when pink to purplish flowers develop in 4-16 in. (10.2-40.6 cm) long spikes at the tops of the stems. Flowers have 5-7 petals and twice as many stamens as petals.
- Fruit
- Fruits are capsules that are enclosed in the hairy sepals and contain several reddish brown seeds.
- Ecological Threat
- Lythrum salicaria is a serious invader of many types of wetlands, including wet meadows, prairie potholes, river and stream banks, lake shores, tidal and nontidal marshes, and ditches. It can quickly form dense stands that completely dominate the area excluding native vegetation. This plant can spread very rapidly due to its prolific seed production; each plant can produce up to 2.5 million seeds per year. It can also hybridize with native loosestrife species, potentially depleting the native species gene pool. Lythrum salicaria is native to Europe and Asia. It was first introduced into North America in the early 1800s for ornamental and medicinal purposes.
Resources
- Best Management Practices - Ontarios Invading Species Awareness Program
- Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the Eastern United States - USDA Forest Service
- Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - SE-EPPC
- Biology and Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife - USDA Forest Service
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Global Invasive Species Database - Invasive Species Specialist Group
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas - National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Best Management Practices - Ontarios Invading Species Awareness Program
Selected Images from Invasive.org
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Flower(s)
Eric Coombs, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Eric Coombs, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Flower(s)
Norman E. Rees, USDA Agricultural Research Service - Retired, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Norman E. Rees, USDA Agricultural Research Service - Retired, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation Roadside infestation
Britt Slattery, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Britt Slattery, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Fruit(s) fruit and seeds
Gary L. Piper, Washington State University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Gary L. Piper, Washington State University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Flower(s)
John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Plant(s) in flower
John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation Southeast Minnesota, September
Linda Haugen, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Linda Haugen, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Plant(s) Ornamental planting
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Plant(s) Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 2: 581.
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Plant(s) USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database , USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage