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Species
Lythrum salicaria var. vulgare DC.
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Perennial herbs or subshrubs, 0.3-1.5 m tall, scabrous or sparsely to densely gray pubescent [or tomentose], sometimes somewhat glabrescent. Stem erect, 4-angled. Leaves opposite or 3-whorled, sometimes alternate toward stem apex, ovate-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 2.5-10 × 0.5-1.5 cm, base rounded, truncate, or semiclasping, apex acute to subobtuse. Inflorescences terminal, spicate, 15-35 cm; bracts broadly lanceolate or deltoid-ovate. Flowers in 1- to multi-flowered whorled axillary cymes, shortly pedicellate. Floral tube 5-8 × 1.5-2 mm, 12-ribbed; sepals deltate, 0.5-1 mm; epicalyx segments erect, linear, 1.5-2 mm, much longer than sepals. Petals reddish purple to rose-purple, lanceolate-oblanceolate, 7-10 × 1.5-3 mm. Fl. Jul-Sep, fr. Oct. 2n = 30, 50, 58, 60.
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Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200014658 |
Perennial, 40-70 cm tall. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, elliptic or lanceolate, acute to acuminate, base cordate-amplexicaul, 6-60 mm long, 2.5-15 mm broad. Spikes 9-45 cm long. Pedicels 1-2 mm. Hypanthium 12-ribbed. Epicalyx longer than or equalling the calyx. Petals 5.5-8.5 mm long, 2-3 mm broad, obovate-spathulate or obovate-oblanceolate. Ovary subsessile, 2-5 mm long, 0.75-1.5 mm broad. Capsule 4 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, narrowed. Seeds obovate, tip ±membranous.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200014658 |
Purple loosestrife was introduced to the northeastern United States and Canada in the 1800s for ornamental and medicinal uses. It is still widely sold as an ornamental, except in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois where regulations now prohibit its sale, purchase and distribution. Purple loosestrife adapts readily to natural and disturbed wetlands.
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Rights holder/Author | U.S. National Park Service |
Source | http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/lysa.htm |
Lythrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife)
(insect activity is largely unspecified; information is limited to bees; observations are from Grundel et al.)
Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera (Gnd); Apidae (Bombini): Bombus impatiens (Gnd); Megachilidae (Coelioxini): Coelioxys modesta sn (Gnd)
Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Agapostemon sericeus (Gnd), Augochlora pura (Gnd), Halictus confusus (Gnd)
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2015 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects//plants/pp_loosestrife.html |
Red List Criteria
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
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Rights holder/Author | International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |
Source | http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/164323 |
No information
General: Loosestrife Family (Lythraceae). Purple loosestrife is an erect perennial herb that grows up to 2.5 m tall, develops a strong taproot, and may have up to 50 stems arising from its base. Its 50 stems are four-angled and glabrous to pubescent. Its leaves are sessile, opposite or whorled, lanceolate (2-10 cm long and 5-15 mm wide), with rounded to cordate bases. Leaf margins are entire. Leaf surfaces are pubescent.
Each inflorescence is spike-like (1-4 dm long), and each plant may have numerous inflorescences. The calyx and corolla are fused to form a floral tube (also called a hypanthium) that is cylindrical (4-6 mm long), greenish, and 8-12 nerved. Typically the calyx lobes are narrow and thread-like, six in number, and less than half the length of the petals. The showy corolla (up to 2 cm across) is rose-purple and consists of five to seven petals. Twelve stamens are typical for each flower. Individual plants may have flowers of three different types classified according to stylar length as short, medium, and long. The short-styled type has long and medium length stamens, the medium type has long and short stamens, and the long-styled has medium to short stamens. The fruit is a capsule about 2 mm in diameter and 3-4 mm long with many small, ovoid dust-like seeds (< 1 mm long).
Mal et al., 1992, provide a detailed morphological description for L. salicaria. The authors also give details of the tristylous features of this species, as well as an account of its pollen structure and chromosome numbers. The plant’s habit, vegetative, and reproductive structures are illustrated with line drawings.
Other species of Lythrum that grow in the United States have 1-2 flowers in each leaf-like inflorescence bract and eight or fewer stamens compared to L. salicaria, which has more than two flowers per bract and typically twelve stamens per flower. Lythrum virgatum, another species introduced from Europe closely resembles L. salicaria, but differs in being glabrous (lacking plant hairs), and having narrow leaf bases. The latter two species interbreed freely producing fertile offspring, and some taxonomists (Rendall 1989) consider them to be a single species.
Distribution: Purple loosestrife is a hardy perennial herb with stunning spikes of purple flowers. A native of Eurasia, it was introduced to North America in the early 1800's where it first appeared in ballast heaps of eastern harbors (Stuckey 1980). Most likely seeds were transported as contaminants in the ballast or possibly attached to raw wool or sheep imported from Europe (Cole, 1926; Thompson et al., 1987).
The native range of L. salicaria is thought to extend from Great Britain to central Russia from near the 65th parallel to North Africa. It also occurs in Japan, Korea, and the northern Himalayan region. The species has been introduced to Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Since its introduction to North America, this alien plant has spread rapidly into Canada, and throughout most of the United States where it has been reported from all states except Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Several factors have contributed to the spread of purple loosestrife such as its potential for rapid growth, its enormous reproductive capacity, lack of natural diseases or predators, its use as an ornamental, and for bee forage (Mal et al. 1992). For current U.S. distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.
More info for the term: rootstock
Purple loosestrife is a non-native, perennial wetland herb [14,129]. Stems are erect, 1 to 8 feet (0.3-2.4 m) tall, becoming woody with age and persisting through winter and up to 2 years [9,14,73,118]. Mature, long-established plants are often 10 feet (3 m) tall and 5 feet (1.5 m) wide [129]. Plants may become increasingly bush-like by producing greater numbers of basal stems from the same rootstock each year [14,79,118,129]. Plants begin producing multiple stems from a single rootstock as early as the 2nd growing season [102]. Anderson [1] recorded single genets with over 130 stems produced from a single rootstock during a single season. He also estimated ages for individual plants up to 22 years. Observations have been recorded of particular rootstocks failing to generate shoots during a given year, but producing aboveground growth during each prior and subsequent season [129].
Leaves are 2 to 6 inches (5-14 cm) long and attached close to the stem [14]. Flower spikes vary in length from > 40 inches (1 m) to only a few inches, and only 2 to 3 inches (5.1-7.6 cm) of the spike typically display open flowers at any given time [9,73]. Fruits are capsules 2-3 mm in length [56]. Seeds measure approximately 400 x 200 microns, and weigh approximately 1.8 x 10-6 ounces (50 µg) per seed, which is comparatively quite small among North American temperate wetland plants [116,129].
Seedlings quickly develop a thick, hardened taproot [111]. Mature plants subjected to persistent flooding respond by forming aerenchymous (containing large intercellular air spaces) tissue, permitting oxygen flow to submerged roots [118].
The preceding description provides characteristics of purple loosestrife that may be relevant to fire ecology and is not meant to be used for identification. Keys for identifying purple loosestrife are available in various floras (e.g. [57,71]). Photos and descriptions of purple loosestrife are also available online from Minnesota Sea Grant. Check with the native plant society or cooperative extension service in your area for more information.
The flowers attract long-tongued bees and butterflies, including Bombus spp. (Bumblebees) and the butterfly Pieris rapae (Cabbage White). The seeds are too small to be of any interest to birds, and it is unclear to what extent mammalian herbivores feed on the foliage. There have been attempts recently to release leaf beetles from Europe as a biocontrol measure. This species probably provides cover to some wetland species of birds because of its tall dense vegetation. Photographic Location
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/pp_loosestrife.htm |
Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Lythrum+salicaria |