Blog & News

What’s in Bloom? Purple Loosestrife (July – September)

Published on Tuesday August 16, 2022
Authored by PEIISC

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) was first reported in North America in the early 1800s. Since the initial introductions this plant is often shared by gardeners or spread in waterways. It is a wetland perennial that can grow 0.5-1.5 m tall. Watch for Purple Loosestrife flowers in bloom from July to September.

๐ฟ๐‘ฆ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ข๐‘š ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘–๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘Ž invades and destroys habitat along rivers, streams, and wetlands. It grows in dense patches that choke out native plants and deter wildlife. Purple loosestrife is a prolific seed producer, and its light seeds are carried by wind and often take hold in nearby wetlands. The seeds also float in water and travel in waterways. Seeds may also โ€œhitchhikeโ€ on imported sheep or raw wool.

๐ˆ๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง

๐‹๐ž๐š๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ

Lance-shaped and 3-10 cm long, opposite and in pairs, in whorls of three

๐…๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ

Purple to pink, numerous, borne on spikes between 10 and 40 cm long, 5-7 petals per flower

๐…๐ซ๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ

Capsules, containing numerous reddish-brown seeds