Purple loosestrife

Family: Lythraceae
Scientific name: Lythrum salicaria
Description: Plant Form: Erect perennial herb. Size: Up to 3 m tall, usually shorter. Stem: Numerous, hairy, with 4 ridges running lengthwise. Leaves: Oval to lance-shaped 2-7 cm long, slightly clasping the stems, usually in opposite pairs or groups of 3. Can be smooth or hairy. Flowers: Very showy bright pink or purplish with 5 or 6 petals fusing at base into a tubular shape about 5 mm long. Clustered along a dense spike of up to 1 m long. Fruit and Seeds: Oval-shaped capsule with 2 valves. Habitat: This native plant inhabits swampy or wetland areas across a wide variety of environments and climates. Impacts: Note - this is a native plant that is a major weed elsewhere. Weed Status: Other Weed Weed Type: Non-weedy Native Lookalike Lifeform: Herbaceous

Example images for this weed