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Purple Loosestrife

Lythrum salicaria

Non-Native

purple loosestrife diagram
Purple loosestrife flower
purple loosestrife side view

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration courtesy of University of Florida/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants. Used with permission.

What is Purple Loosestrife?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

  • Sword-shaped
  • No leaf stalk
  • Rounded or heart-shaped at base
  • Paired or whorled around stems

Flowers:

  • Showy
  • Pink-purple colored

Stem:

  • Square
  • Woody
  • Hairy
  • 4-10 feet tall

Where Does it Grow?

EDDMapS. 2024. Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System. The University of Georgia – Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Available online at http://www.eddmaps.org/; last accessed January 28, 2024.

Non-Native

Purple loosestrife can be found in meadows, prairies, marshes, ditches, and around ponds and lakes.

Is it Invasive?

Purple loosestrife is non-native to North America. It is an aggressive invader that out-competes the native vegetation for vital resources.

This is a non-native plant that should not be grown as it is invasive and illegal to possess or transport this species in Texas. Please report sightings to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at (512) 389-4800.

How to Manage This Plant
Plant Glossary

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Aquatic plant photographs were provided by David Bayne, Jim Davis, Kelly Duffie, Billy Higginbotham, Michael Masser, John Clayton, Chetta Owens, Diane Smith, Joe Snow, Don Steinbach, Bridget Robinson Lassiter and Peter Woods.

You may use these photos, so long as you give credit to AquaPlant.

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