Warning! This is an
invasive plant, which has the potential to aggressivley crowd out native species. Learn
more about invasive plants!
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Image ID: mtr26
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Invasive
Family:
Lythraceae (Loostrife)
Height: 2 to 4 ft.
Blooms: June to
September
Leaf Type:
smooth
Bloom Size: 0.5 in. (typical)
Flower Description:
Elongate clusters,
Regular blooms, 5 parts
Location: Montour Trail
Date: 7/27/2002
More photos of this flower
Folklore, History, and Other Facts
Purple loosestrife was intentionally introduced into North America in the early 1800s as an ornamental, as well as accidentally by way of discarded ship ballast. It is now banned as a noxious weed in most states.
(PA DCNR)
We started out as wildflowers from the bicycle trails of western Pennsylvania, but we've
grown!
Meyer, Joseph E. (1918). The Herbalist and Herb Doctor. Hammond, Ind.: Indiana Herb Gardens. 400 pp.
