PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE

Class: Lythrum salicaria

Family: LOOSESTRIFE FAMILY

Sub Family: Lythraceae

Year: Perennial

Other Names:

Colour: Reddish-purple

Height: 60 cm-2.1 m (2-7')

Each Flower: Up to 9 mm (3/8") long with 5 petals, lower parts form tube; 8 to 10 stamens of varying lengths, some protrude beyond petals as flowers mature; style also protrudes; hairy calyx forms tube with 5-7 pointed lobes, greenish with purple veins; several flowers from each leaf-axil

Leaves: Usually opposite, almost clasping, lance-shaped blades softly hairy, 2.5-10 cm (1-4") long

Stems: Rigid, square, branching into flower-stems above

Blooming Period: August - September

Habitat: Marshes and lake edges

Note:

Becoming a pest in ponds and waterways