Lythrum salicaria
Purple loosestrife
How do you recognise purple loosestrife?
The stem is upright, square in cross-section, and usually finely hairy. The stalkless leaves sit opposite each other, in whorls or spirals. The purple-red flower spikes rise from the leaf axils and can reach 40 cm.
What is it confused with?
Fireweed has four petals and a round stem, and grows in drier places such as roadsides and clearings. Purple loosestrife has a square stem and wet feet.
Where does purple loosestrife grow, and when does it flower?
Purple loosestrife grows in damp places: lake and river shores, meadows, rocks, wetlands and ditches, sometimes standing in water. Flowering is in July and August.
Can you collect it for a herbarium?
Purple loosestrife is common on shores, and the top of the stem with its flower spike is enough.
Did you know?
Plants come in three forms with the stamens and style at different heights, which steers pollination between different individuals. One plant can set hundreds of thousands of seeds.
Where does purple loosestrife grow in Finland?
The map shows where the species has been recorded. Darker squares mean more observations.
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Observations: GBIF · Map: CARTO, OpenStreetMap
Sources: fi.wikipedia.org
Identify plants with your phone
Linnea identifies a plant from a photo and tells you its name and its story. Every find takes its own numbered place in your herbarium, with the day and the town where you found it.
