purple loosestrife

Plants: Forbs/Herbs
Magnoliopsida > Myrtales > Lythraceae > Lythrum salicaria L.
Synonym(s): purple lythrum, rainbow weed, salicaire, spiked loosestrife
Purple loosestrife is a tall, multi-stemmed (30-50 per plant), perennial forb that can grow up to 10 ft. (3 m) in height. 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. 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. Fruits are capsules that are enclosed in the hairy sepals. Purple loosestrife is a serious invader of many types of wetlands, including wet meadows, prairie potholes, river and stream banks, lake shores, tidal and non-tidal marshes, and ditches. It can quickly form dense stands that displace native vegetation. Purple loosestrife can spread very rapidly due to its prolific seed production; one plant can produce as many as 2 million seeds per year. Purple loosestrife is native to Europe and Asia. It was first introduced into North America in the early 1800s for ornamental and medicinal purposes. It has also been used as a nectar plant for bee-keeping.

124 records

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Image Descriptor Description Photographer
0002036 Biological Control infestation before release of Galerucella spp. and Hylobius transversovittatus (note cages); Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area Bernd Blossey
0002037 Biological Control after control through combination of Galerucella spp. and Hylobius transversovittatus; Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area Bernd Blossey
1291025 Biological Control Non-waxed paper insect containers for biological control insects Martin Moses
1291032 Biological Control mesh-covered plants used to rear biocontrol agents David Voegtlin
1291022 Diagram or Graphic Root, stem, and flowers Cindy Roche
5308005 Diagram or Graphic Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 2: 581. USDA PLANTS Database
5308006 Diagram or Graphic USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA PLANTS Database
1291037 Equipment Supplies needed to monitor: meter sticks, measuring tape, stopwatch, camera, compass, GPS, clipboard and writing instrument, and frame components Bernd Blossey
0021092 Flower(s) Norman E. Rees
1391115 Flower(s) John D. Byrd
1391116 Flower(s) John D. Byrd
0022074 Flower(s) Norman E. Rees
0022075 Flower(s) Eric Coombs
0024065 Flower(s) Norman E. Rees
0025042 Flower(s) Norman E. Rees
1291003 Flower(s) Eric Coombs
1291004 Flower(s) Linda Wilson
1291005 Flower(s) Linda Wilson
1459319 Flower(s) Steve Dewey
1551088 Flower(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1552185 Flower(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1552192 Flower(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1557146 Flower(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1557150 Flower(s)

immature flowers

Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1557151 Flower(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
5358578 Flower(s)

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in bloom.

L.L. Berry
5239005 Flower(s) Richard Old
5273003 Flower(s) Leslie J. Mehrhoff
5273005 Flower(s) Leslie J. Mehrhoff
5273007 Flower(s) Leslie J. Mehrhoff
5366370 Flower(s) K. George Beck & James Sebastian
5366371 Flower(s) K. George Beck & James Sebastian
5366372 Flower(s) K. George Beck & James Sebastian
5366373 Flower(s) K. George Beck & James Sebastian
5387439 Flower(s)

inflorescence.

Joseph M. DiTomaso
5387440 Flower(s)

flower.

Joseph M. DiTomaso
5387441 Flower(s)

inflorescence post-flowering.

Joseph M. DiTomaso
5366376 Flower(s) K. George Beck & James Sebastian
5391680 Flower(s) Barry Rice
5391681 Flower(s) Barry Rice
5392334 Flower(s) John M. Randall
5366377 Foliage K. George Beck & James Sebastian
5387443 Foliage

node with whorled leaf arrangement.

Joseph M. DiTomaso
1552184 Foliage Theodore Webster
1552189 Foliage Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1552190 Foliage Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1557156 Foliage Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1557157 Foliage Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1552186 Foliage Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1459315 Foliage Steve Dewey
1291006 Fruit(s)

fruit and seeds

Gary L. Piper
0025020 Infestation Snake River Eric Coombs
0021091 Infestation Eric Coombs
1299141 Infestation 50 plus acres Tonawanda WMA, New York; cages are for release of control agents Randy Westbrooks
1400073 Infestation Southeast Minnesota, September Linda Haugen
1400074 Infestation Southeast Minnesota, September. Linda Haugen
0021093 Infestation on Idaho border near Ontario, Oregon Eric Coombs
0021094 Infestation Eric Coombs
1291024 Infestation Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Archive
1459316 Infestation Steve Dewey
1459317 Infestation Steve Dewey
1459318 Infestation Steve Dewey
1400077 Infestation Southeast Minnesota, September Linda Haugen
1459311 Infestation Utah State University Archive
1237071 Infestation Roadside infestation Britt Slattery
1459314 Infestation Steve Dewey
1551086 Infestation OSU Extension Slide Set Archives
1624026 Infestation Has spread from cultivation into wetlands where it often totally replaces communities of native plants. Randy Westbrooks
5273004 Infestation Leslie J. Mehrhoff
5366374 Infestation

in flower

K. George Beck & James Sebastian
5358619 Infestation

Infestation of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in bloom.

L.L. Berry
5273006 Infestation Leslie J. Mehrhoff
5392336 Infestation

Big infestation

John M. Randall
5392337 Infestation John M. Randall
5392338 Infestation

Old stems

John M. Randall
5392339 Infestation

Encroaching

John M. Randall
5392340 Infestation John M. Randall
5392341 Infestation John M. Randall
1291038 Monitoring Quadrat set within an infestation Doug Landis
1291039 Monitoring Estimating coverage Doug Landis
1291033 Shipping box for biocontrol insects University of Idaho Archive
0002030 wetland dominated; Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area Bernd Blossey
0002038 Tonawanda Wildlife Management Area Bernd Blossey
0026023 before shot USDA ARS Archive
0581021 Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources - Purple Loosestrife Rearing and Monitoring Workshop, Minneapolis, MN, leaves showing feeding damage from Galerucella beetles, released for biological control. Jil M. Swearingen
1148091 Plant(s) USDA APHIS PPQ Archive
1149037 Plant(s) USDA APHIS PPQ Archive
1149038 Plant(s) USDA APHIS PPQ Archive
1291007 Plant(s) Sprouting from rootstocks amid previous year's dead stems. Carol Bell Randall
1400075 Plant(s) Southeast Minnesota, September Linda Haugen
1400076 Plant(s) Southeast Minnesota, September. Linda Haugen
1299184 Plant(s)

August, 2004; with Randy Westbrooks

Randy Westbrooks
1391156 Plant(s)

in flower

John D. Byrd
1552183 Plant(s) Theodore Webster
1459320 Plant(s) Steve Dewey
1459321 Plant(s) Steve Dewey
1459322 Plant(s) Steve Dewey
1459323 Plant(s) Steve Dewey
1459324 Plant(s) Ornamental planting Steve Dewey
1459325 Plant(s) Steve Dewey
1459312 Plant(s) Utah State University Archive
1557147 Plant(s)

in flower

Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1557149 Plant(s)

in flower

Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
5392335 Plant(s)

Clumps

John M. Randall
5366375 Plant(s)

in flower

K. George Beck & James Sebastian
5387438 Plant(s)

along river bank.

Joseph M. DiTomaso
5387442 Plant(s)

vegetative stem.

Joseph M. DiTomaso
5273002 Plant(s) Leslie J. Mehrhoff
5358588 Plant(s)

Infestation of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in bloom.

L.L. Berry
1624027 Plant(s) Despite its reputation as a wetland invader, it is still being sold as a flowering plant in some states. Randy Westbrooks
2187015 Plant(s)

in flower

David Cappaert
5239004 Plant(s) Richard Old
1562013 Plant(s)

in flower

Daniel Herms
1624025 Plant(s) Introduced from Europe in the mid-1800s as an ornamental plant, has invaded wetlands in the eastern and north central states and is still being planted in roadside beautification projects in parts of the United States. Bonnie Harper-Lore
1552191 Seed(s) Ken Chamberlain
1557155 Seed(s) Ken Chamberlain
1557159 Seedling(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1557160 Seedling(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1557161 Seedling(s)

cotyledons

Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1552187 Seedling(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1552188 Seedling(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
1551087 Seedling(s) Ohio State Weed Lab Archive
5239003 Stem(s) Richard Old
5366378 Stem(s)

square stem

K. George Beck & James Sebastian


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