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Purple Loosestrife

Scientific Name

Lythrum salicaria L. (ITIS)

Common Name

Purple loosestrife, spiked loosestrife

Native To

Eurasia (Munger 2002)

Date of U.S. Introduction

Exact date unknown; was established by the 1830s (Munger 2002)

Means of Introduction

Through ships' ballast and as an ornamental (Munger 2002)

Impact

Crowds out native species (Munger 2002)

Purple loosestrife
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Purple loosestrife, flower

Credit

Photo by Norman E. Rees; USDA, Agricultural Research Service

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Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Videos

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force
Partnership
Federal Government
State and Local Government
Academic
Professional
Citations
  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Lythrum salicaria. [Accessed Sep 21, 2023].

  • Munger, G.T. 2002. Lythrum salicaria. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.