365 Urban Species. #200: Purple Loosestrife

[urbpan]

Photo by urbpan. Location: Leverett Pond, Olmsted Park, Brookline.

Urban species #200: Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria


Handily winning the award for "prettiest scourge ever" is the invasive species poster plant purple loosestrife. An uncommonly attractive marsh plant that forms dense patches of stunning purple blossoms, it prevents native plants from growing. This reduces bird habitat, especially of marsh nesting birds such as rails and red-winged blackbirds. Even native insects are deprived of food when this invader takes over (though a few species of butterflies and bees feed on the flowers' nectar). Native to Eurasia, it now occurs around the world in dozens of far-flung places where growing conditions are suitable. Several attributes account for this plants' success as an invader, and as an urban species. It can tolerate a wide range of moist soil conditions, and is uncommonly hardy, some stands persisting for decades without diminishing. It reproduces both with the production of enormous amounts of seeds (which can be dispersed by birds, not because the birds eat the loosestrife's fruit, but because the tiny thin seeds can cling to their feathers) and through vegetative spread. Trampling, incomplete pulling, and other injuries to the plant only serve to accelerate its spread. Human disturbances to the soil favor the growth of purple loosestrife. Occasionally it can be found growing away from the water in urban areas.











This adventuresome individual is growing out of one of Olmsted's stone bridges over the Muddy River.


This volunteer helps to brighten the garden of a commercial property in western suburb of Maynard.

Comments

[gardenfey.livejournal.com]

There is at least one beetle that eats purple loosestrife. Check this out: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/trnews/rpo/rpo.trn213.pdf

I was a trainee in this bureau while they were doind their investigations and have followed the *positive* results with great interest.

[nutmeg.livejournal.com]

That beetle was imported for the job, specifically, along with three others.

[harry-rar.livejournal.com]

Hamlet, Act IV Sc vii:

There is a willow grows aslant a brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream;
There with fantastic garlands did she come
Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them...

the 'long purples' were quite likely Purple Loosestrife.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

lupines maybe? mmm. dead men's fingers? weird.

#

[ex-wellread.livejournal.com]

It's a pretty weed.

[artemii.livejournal.com]

i've seen it growing in this neighborhood. places that immediately come to mind are the edge of one garden (which didn't look particularly moist, but i didn't test the soil to check) and a semi-wet edge between public land and a private business.

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

This has been one of those species that's been watched and considered a threat in the province for several years, but it's only been the past two or three years that I've been seeing it a lot. It's fairly attractive, and keeps the purple mixed in the green on the roadside after the lupins lose their flowers, but it scares me a little :/

[nutmeg.livejournal.com]

Loosetrife will grow in not so wet areas, and it is still sold in some areas as a garden plant.

There is a voluntary green house/propagator ban around here, but I don't know if it's every where. I think some states have it on the noxious weed list, which makes it illegal to propagate, and I think it also requires you take reasonable efforts to remove it fromm your land.

Everyone loves purple loosetrife in my deparment. heh. It gives us all jobs and stuff.

Loosestrife

[(Anonymous)]

Purple loosestrife was prohibited from being imported or propagated in Massachusetts as of Jan. 2006. This will not make the millions of wild plants go away, of course, but will perhaps raise more awareness.

Love the plant growing out of the wall!

- Jenn (Invasive Species Weblog)

[shiloho3.livejournal.com]

A vendor at the West Allis Wisconsin farmers market sells Purple Loosestrife honey. For a weed, it makes great honey..