Common Name:
Purple loosestrife
Scientific Name:
Lythrum salicaria
Unique Qualities:
Purple loosestrife is a wetland plant from Europe and Asia brought here in the 1800s. It grows around 1.2 m tall, with several showy purple spikes of flowers. A single plant may produce up to 300,000 seeds, which are carried away by wind, water and animals.
Can be Seen:
This exotic plant is in now in 42 states and all Canadian border provinces.
Likes to Hang Out:
Purple loosestrife thrives on disturbed, moist soils like sunny wetlands, ditches and around farm ponds. It grows close together, choking out other species.
Benefits of the Plant:
The plant has no benefits in North America. It destroys food and nesting sites for a wide range of native wetland animals, including ducks, geese, muskrats, frogs, toads and turtles. Once established, purple loosestrife can destroy marshes and choke waterways.
Status:
This plant is called “the purple plague” and is considered a dangerous invasive species. It is often pulled out from its roots to keep it from spreading.
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