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| Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA SCS. 1989. Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln | Britton and Brown. See
credits below.** |
| Botanical name: |
Lythrum salicaria L. |
| Common
name: |
purple loosestrife |
| Synonomy: |
| Lythrum salicaria L. var. gracilior Turcz. |
| Lythrum salicaria L. var. tomentosum (Mill.) DC. |
| Lythrum salicaria L. var. vulgare DC. |
|
| Group: |
dicot |
| Family: |
Lythraceae |
| Growth
Type: |
subshrub
forb/herb |
| Duration: |
perennial |
| Origin: |
introduced from Eurasia |
| Plant
height: |
3-4', but as high as 10' |
| Foliage: |
leaves lance shaped with heart or round shaped base, opposite or whorled in groups of 3 or 4 along stem |
| Flowers: |
showy spikes of magenta to white or light pink flowers; 5-7 petals |
| Flowering/fruiting time: |
throughout the summer |
| Habitat: |
wetlands; can tolerate a wide range of soil and shade conditions |
| Range
in
New Jersey: |
every county
|
| Heritage ranking if any: |
n/a |
| Distribution: |
 |
| Misc.: |
A noxious weed in numerous states; quarantined and prohibited in
several states. It displaces native vegetation and can form a near
monoculture, changing drainage patterns, as well as displacing plants
that are food for wildlife as well as special concern plant species.
Large populations are virtually impossible to irradicate.
For more information, see NJ DEP Invasive Report, p. 73
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Sources
**USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 2: 581. |
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