Purple Loosestrife

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) - also known as Spiked loosestrife, Purple lythrum, Rainbow weed or Salicaire is a semi-aquatic herbaceous plant belonging to the loosestrife family, Lythraceae. The plants grow vigorously and spread alarmingly fast, far removed from their natural controlling agents. Infestations result in dramatic disruption in water flow in rivers and canals, and a sharp decline in biological diversity. Native food and cover plant species are completely crowded out. Purple loosestrife may rise two meters in height and 1.5 meters in width with up to 50 erect stalks to a single woody root mass. The wide, downy and sessile leaves are 3-10 centimeters in length and opposite in two ranks. It is easily identified during its blooming season from June to September. The distinctive, showy spires of reddish purple flowers are clustered tightly in the axils of bracts or leaves; the flowers have 5-6 petals. After their long blooming period the plant's leaves turn bright red through dehydration. Occurring in early autumn, the red color may last for almost two weeks. The dead stalks from previous growing seasons are also a distinctive shade of brown. A single plant may produce up to three million tiny seeds annually. Easily carried by wind and water, the seeds germinate in moist soils in late winter or early spring.