Where is purple loosestrife originally from

Federal government websites always use a. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Purple Loosestrife. See also: Fact Sheets for more information about individual invasive species, including those listed as "Prohibited Noxious" and "Noxious" under the Alberta Weed Control Act.

Science of the American Southwest. Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab. National Genetic Resources Program. See also: Publications - Invasive for more resources. See also: Invasive and Problem Plant Control scroll to Invasive Plants section for more information to help you identify and control most common invasive plants in Missouri.

See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for plant species trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and aquatic plants that have impacted the state's natural lands. Skip to main content. An official website of the United States government. Here's how you know. View all resources. Scientific Name:. Lythrum salicaria L. Common Name:. Native To:. Date of U. Exact date unknown; was established by the s Munger Means of Introduction:.

Through ships' ballast and as an ornamental Munger Crowds out native species Munger University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Photo: Dave Britton, U.

Fish and Wildlife Service European leaf-eating beetle, a natural enemy of purple loosestrife. Photo: David Voegtlin Impacts of purple loosestrife The plant forms dense stands with thick mats of roots that can spread over large areas, degrading habitat for many native birds, insects and other species.

By crowding out native plants it reduces biodiversity. Large stands of purple loosestrife can clog irrigation canals, degrade farmland and reduce the forage value of pastures. Stems are woody and square with opposite or whorled leaves. Stems are woody and square, and each one can form a plant up to 2. Individual flowers have five to seven pink-purple petals about 10 millimetres long, arranged on long flower spikes at the top of stems.

Leaves are opposite or whorled and three to 10 centimetres long, with smooth edges. What you can do Learn how to identify purple loosestrife and other invasive plants. The best time to remove purple loosestrife from your garden is in June, July and early August when it is in flower. Small areas can be dug by hand. This highly invasive plant was likely introduced when its seeds were included in soil used as ballast in European sailing ships and discarded in North America.

The plant was also spread by early settlers and is still used in flower gardens and occasionally sold in nurseries today. This invasive can grow up to one-and-a-half metres in height, and it flowers pink-purple from May to June.

Its leaves are in pairs or whorls of three, lance-shaped and oppositely arranged on the stems, which are woody and square. Purple loosestrife has now naturalized and spread across Canada and the northern United States.

Ralph W. Tiner, Jr. The University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst Wetlands — Audubon Society Nature Guide. William A. Chanticleer Press, New York Diagnostic Information : Flowers: July to September; small, purplish-pink with five to seven petals, clustered in the axils of reduced leaves, forming long dense terminal spikes inches long. Leaves: sessile without stalks , up to four inches long, lance-shaped, with heart-shaped bases, somewhat clasping stem, oppositely arranged, sometimes in whorls of three, turn red at the end of the growing season.

Stems: four-angled, almost woody, glabrous to pubescent. Fruits: small capsule.