Biological Name:
Lythrum salicaria (Purple-Loosestrife)
Natural Habitat:
Purple-Loosestrife: This plant is native to Europe, Asia, and North America and grows in a variety of habitats, including fields, meadows, and along roadsides.
Description:
Purple-Loosestrife is a perennial weed that is native to Europe and Asia. It has square stems and opposite leaves and the leaves are lance-shaped with toothed edges. The flowers are small and pink or purple and they are clustered in showy spikes at the ends of the stems.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Should I remove purple loosestrife?
A: Pulling purple loosestrife is best when the infested area is small. In areas where there are few plants and easy access, manually removing the plants in recommended. Purple loosestrife can be cut or pulled without a permit in Minnesota. It is important to dispose of the plants away from the water.
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Q: What is loosestrife good for?
A: People use purple loosestrife as a tea for diarrhea, menstrual problems, and bacterial infections. Purple loosestrife is sometimes applied directly to the affected area for varicose veins, bleeding gums, hemorrhoids, and eczema, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
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Q: Should I plant loosestrife?
A: Dangers of Garden Loosestrife They are so prolific that they can take over a site in a single year, making loosestrife plant care difficult. Their roots and overgrowth form dense mats that choke out native plant life and, in turn, destroy the food sources for local wildlife.
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Q: How does purple loosestrife affect humans?
A: Purple loosestrife contains astringent chemicals called tannins and salicarin. They have a drying effect. Astringent chemicals might help reduce diarrhea and inflammation. Salicarin may also help fight bacteria in the intestine.
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Q: What should you do if you come across purple loosestrife?
A: Small areas can be dug by hand. Cutting the flower stalks before they go to seed ensures the seeds will not produce future plants. To dispose of purple loosestrife, put the plants in plastic bags, seal them, and put the bags in the garbage.
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Q: What animals eat purple loosestrife?
A: Purple loosestrife has no natural predators, such as disease or insects on this continent; therefore, it has an incredible ability to out-compete native vegetation and to form dense stands.
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Q: Do butterflies like purple loosestrife?
A: Many bees and butterflies use the invasive purple loosestrife as an easily available energy source. Naturalized field clovers and meadow vetches are very important nectar sources.
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Q: Do bees like purple loosestrife?
A: Bees also love loosestrife! It’s a pollinator species – and not just for honeybees, but for our native pollinators too! Loosestrife has been favored by American beekeepers since the 1800s, and in fact then, it was so common that botanists initially thought it was a native plant.
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Q: How do I know if I have purple loosestrife?
A: The most identifiable characteristic of purple loosestrife is the striking rose to purple colored flowers (Figure 4). The flowers are arranged on a spike, which can be a few inches to 3 feet long. Each flower has five to seven petals arising from a cylindrical green tube.
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Q: Why is it called loosestrife?
A: Properly belonging to members of the unrelated genus Lysimachia, loosestrife derives from the folk belief that branches of these flowers calm fractious teams of oxen by driving away tormenting insects, thus ”loosing” or dissolving strife between the doughty animals.
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Q: Is all purple loosestrife invasive?
A: Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is a highly invasive perennial that is a perfect example of this. The herbaceous plant is native to Eurasia and became known within the US shortly after the beginning of the nineteenth century. The spread to North America occurred in the 1800s.
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Q: Who eats purple loosestrife?
A: Purple loosestrife has no natural predators, such as disease or insects on this continent; therefore, it has an incredible ability to out-compete native vegetation and to form dense stands.
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Q: Should I cut back loosestrife?
A: Reduce flowered stalks to make plants look better, and trim all stems to within 5 cm of the ground at the end of winter.
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Q: Can you eat purple loosestrife?
A: Leaves and roots are edible. Roots are best gathered in the autumn and the leaves in the early summer. Several sources say to cook the edible parts of purple loosestrife before consuming. It is reported to contain flavonoids, polyphenols and tannins.
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Q: Do hummingbirds like purple loosestrife?
A: It blooms purple pink spires of flowers from spring to frost and attracts bees, bumblebees, butterflies and hummingbirds all season. It is perennial, requires no maintenance and likes moist soil.
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Q: Is purple loosestrife good for anything?
A: Purple loosestrife is a plant. The flowering parts are used as medicine. People use purple loosestrife as a tea for diarrhea, menstrual problems, and bacterial infections.
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Q: Do birds eat purple loosestrife?
A: Their roots and overgrowth form dense mats that choke out native plant life and, in turn, destroy the food sources for local wildlife. Birds can’t eat the hard seed. Cattails, an invaluable source of food and nesting material, are replaced. Waterfowl avoid areas overgrown with the insidious loosestrife plant.
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Q: Is loosestrife good for bees?
A: Purple loosestrife is a fantastic wildlife plant as the flowers are rich in pollen and nectar, and attract bees, butterflies and moths.
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