Purple Loosestrife is a plant with diverse qualities. It blooms profusely and in the past has been loved by many for its ornamental value. More recently it is drawing attention to itself for outcompeting native species and altering the landscape of wetlands throughout the world.
In examining this perennial herb, turned weed, we will learn where it came from, where it grows and the impact it has had on North American ecosystems. We will also review control methods, both successful and unsuccessful.
Origin and Description
Lythrum salicaria is a part of the family of Lythraceae, known as the Henna family. The genus Lythrum is comprised of 38 species of annuals, perennials, and subshrubs. The name Lythrum comes from the greek lythron, meaning blood. This is most likely referring to the reddish-purple colour of the flowers (Hyam and Pankhurst, 1995.) The species name salicaria alludes to the long narrow leaf shape, which resembles the leaves of the Willow (Salix spp.) (Jacobs, 2008). Although Lythrum salicaria is referred to by more than 10 common names throughout North America, the most commonly accepted is Purple Loosestrife.
Native throughout Europe and Asia, Lythrum is an herbaceous perennial that dies back in the winter. Shoots emerge from the woody crown in late spring. Plants generally grow to 6 feet, but can reach heights of 10 feet. The stems and leaves are mostly hairy. Flowers have a tubular calyx with five to seven lobes and ridges between each lobe. Two stamens are fused to each lobe. Flowers are usually reddish-purple but can vary to white, pink, purple, or red. The flowers are densely arranged on a terminal spike and result in a 1.25 to 1.9 inch capsule. Each capsule contains many small, lightweight, flat, and angu...
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... R. (1993). Biological control of purple loosestrife. BioScience, 43(10), 680-686.
Piper, G. L. "Biological Control of the Wetlands Weed Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria) in the Pacific Northwestern United States." Hydrobiologia 340.1-3 (1996): 291-94. Web.
Tavernia, Brian G., and Reed, J. Michael. "The Impact Of Exotic Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria) On Wetland Bird Abundances." American Midland Naturalist 168.2 (2012): 352-363. Academic Search Premier. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
Thompson, Daniel Q., Ronald L. Stuckey, and Edith B. Thompson. Spread, Impact, and Control of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria) in North American Wetlands.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 1987. Print.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (2004). Lythrum salicaria plants profile. Retrieved from
St. John's Wort scientifically known as Hypericum Perforatum, an herbal remedy generally used to treat depression, is making a rise throughout Europe and the United States. St. John's Wort is a perennial plant that produces abundant yellow flowers and grows naturally throughout much of the world, including specifically in northern California, southern Oregon, and Colorado. It usually flowers on “sunlight hills and forest edges” during the summer, between June and August. It was named after St. John the Baptist and is often harvested and in full bloom around St. John's Day, June 24.
any new plants or the selling of the weed in nurseries and join the Ontario
It is extremely important to keep the environment free of this invasive species. Amur Bush Honeysuckle becomes so abundant and grows very rapidly that it affects the growth of native plant species. Honeysuckle’s exudate prevents the growing of seeds that influences the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. (Davisjg blog, 2015) Removing the species gives the chance of other native species to grow and better the environment. Furthermore, by restoring the environment of Honeysuckle it
Rabbit tobacco is also known as lasting, everlasting, sweet balsam, white balsam, feather-weed, and sweet cudweed. Its scientific name is Gaphalium obtusifolium. These annual herbs reach a height of 1 to 3 feet and have erect stems with brown, shriveled leaves persisting into winter and stems covered with felt-like hairs in summer. The leaves are 1 to 3 inches long, and alternate. The flowers, minute in whitish heads, appear in late summer to fall. Fields, pastures, and disturbed areas are the sites of this common native plant of the eastern United States. The Cherokee named it rabbit tobacco because they believe it was the rabbit who took attended the plant.
A collection of Salvia divinorum suitable for identification was originally made by Wasson and Hofmann in 1962 and described by Epling and J. Tiva-M. as a new species (Epling and J. Tiva-M. 1962). The description was later amended by Reisfield. The plant is a perennial herb with trailing stems that grow from 0.5 to 1.5 m tall and have a square shape characteristic of mints. The flowers are white, turning blue with age, and borne on racemes (Reisfield 1993). It was originally described by Schultes as having all blue flowers, due to the fact that the calyces are blue (Ott 1996). Nutlets are rare among greenhouse cultivated plants, and have never been observed in the wild (Reisfield 1993).
Purple loosestrife is perennial plant, which can grow up to 1~1.5 metres tall. Its stems are reddish purple and its cross-section is square. Its flowers are reddish purple, too. Fruits of purple loosestrife are small capsule that containing seeds in it. Their seeds spread by wind, water, wild animals, and humans. They were introduced to North America by soil that used as ballast in European sailing ships and early settlers. Also, it was used by bee keepers as large source of nectar. Currently, purple loosestrifes spread all around the Canada, but they are now being controlled.
The four North American cattails are: T. latifolia, T. angustifolia, T. glauca, and T. domengensis. T. latifolia has a range including Europe and Asia (Mohlenbrock 1970). In North America, it ranges widely from Alaska, through Canada, throughout the U.S. and into Mexico (Hotchkiss & Dozier 1949). It is common in every county in Illinois (Mohlenbrock 1970). T. angustifolia grows in Africa, Europe, and Asia (Mohlenbrock 1970). In North America, it ranges from the Northeast to the Midwest and also California (Hotchkiss & Dozier 1949). In Illinois it occurs throughout most of the state (Mohlenbrock 1970). Besides North America, T. qlauca and T. domengensis are also found in Europe. These two however, do not occur in Illinois. In the U.S., T. glauca ranges from the upper Midwest and Northeast down the Altantic coast to Florida and into Alabama. It also occurs in California. T. domengensis, being well adapted to brackish waters, grows along the coast from Delaware to Mexico and also occurs in the Southwest.
Niskern, Diana. Invasive species. Washington, D.C. (101 Independence Ave., S.E.): Science Reference Section, Science, Technology, and Business Division, Library of Congress, 2004.
Conium maculatum is a tall, branched, biennial plant, usually 1–2.5m high, and thought to be one of the most toxic members of the family Apiaceae (formerly Umbelliferae) of plant kingdom. The stems are rigid, smooth, and hollow except at the nodes. The plant has a bitter taste and white flower. The leaves are large, triangular; fern like, and alternate on the erect stem. The plant usually grows in waste places where moisture may accumulate and protected from cultivation, damp ground, and banks of streams, rivers, road sides, woodland and pastures. Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) has a worldwide distribution and reported as a very common weed in Europe, North and South America, North Africa, Australia
The “disturbed preserves” are areas in which there has been human alteration of the landscape, whether it be infrastructural installations or beaten trails, that has then been left alone. These areas are recovering forests that normally transition from primary growth to secondary, but are made vulnerable through these artificial developments that alter the dynamics of the landscape in which the native species would emerge. Consequently, these sites, which are protected via the Lullwater Management Plan regardless, have grown into monoculture communities that consist usually of only one or two invasive species. The most aggressive invasive within Lullwater is Ligustrum sinense (Chinese Privet), which is a semi-evergreen shrub of great phenotypic plasticity, allowing it to invade and thrive in a wide range of habitats. Figure 2 is a dam and culvert constructed in 2003, which
It is the most common type of grass on the shorelines of estuaries. While growing up it will stand tall and have one budding flower at the top. It can handle salty environments. It is an ideal plant found in estuaries. The salt water also distributes salt particles around the marshland and shore land. The purple loosestrife is a hard plant which was found in Europe and came to America during the trade and exploration time. The plant has a rigid stalk with matted root ends. The way the roots are made it prevents the plant from growing tall. The top section of the plant is a hardy plant and lives in the marshland and near the shoreline. The purple loosestrife can live in tough environments and can easily take control and kill other
Having a backup plan is essential and this medicinal plant replaces many staples in the first aid kit in addition to some other sanitary necessities. Commonly used to create textural interest in border gardens, Wooly Lamb’s Ear, is an adaptable perennial that is quick to spread to other areas of the homestead. Each silvery-green leaf is covered in a light fuzz that is extremely soft. Pale violet flowers bloom late in the season, though they hold little to no medicinal value; however, they do make a nice addition to floral arrangements.
3.) No author mentioned. (n.d.). Oregon State University. Green Plants by Scientific Name. Retrieved from: http://www.malag.aes.oregonstate.edu/wildflowers/plantlist.php/restrict[color]-Green
The study area consisted of Latah and Benewoh in Idaho, USA. The research used a total of 105 sites to collect data; ranking the areas from lowest to highest elevation. The methods implemented in this research consisted of wetland sampling, mail survey and habitat modelling. The combined results allowed for better insight for the conservation of these species. The first section of the experiment consist...
Hollis, Ted and James Bedding. "Can We Stop the Wetlands From Drying Up?" New Scientist. 2 July, 1994: 30-35.