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Purple Loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria |
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Purple loosestrife is a wetland
perennial that can grow to be 7' tall. Plants will get larger and bushier
with each year of growth. |
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Leaves: Each pair of leaves are
at right angles to the pairs directly above and below it. Occasionally
leaves appear in groups of three. Flowers:
Individual flowers have 5-7 pink-purple petals surrounding small yellow
centers. Flower blooms July through September.
Fruits & Seeds: Fruit is a
2-valved capsule.
Roots: Large woody taproot
stems with extensive rhizomes can send out up to 50 shoots.
Ecological threats
 | Purple loosestrife invades many
types of wetlands including, wet meadows, marshes, river and stream banks,
ponds, lake edges and ditches. |
| Once established it can quickly
form dense stands that displace other emergent wetland species. |
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