Above: Purple Loosestrife along shore of Lake Wingra near Vilas Zoo. (8/21/20).
Purple Loosestrife - Lythrum salicaria - (Introduced - naturalized; ecologically invasive and nuisance weed)
Purple Loosestrife is designated as restricted, invasive plant. It prefers moist soils and shallow waters where it competes with native wetland plants. It will adjust to varying light conditions and water levels.
Many areas of the state use safe biocontrol beetles that feed on the loosestrife to keep it in check and allow other plants to grow.
Purple Loosestrife flowers are reddish purple with six wrinkled petals that are in a spike-like cluster.
Purple Loosestrife blooms July-Sept.
Above: Purple Loosestrife stalk and leaves along shore of Lake Wingra near Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin. (8/21/20).
For more information on the Purple Loosestrife, visit Wikipedia.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin State Herbarium website page about Purple Loosestrife - Lythrum salicaria.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin DNR website page about Purple Loosestrife - Lythrum salicaria.
Purple Loosestrife
Lythrum salicaria
Above: Purple Loosestrife along Cannonball bike path in Madison, Wisconsin. (7/12/21).
Above: Purple Loosestrife along shore of Lake Wingra near Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin. (8/22/20).
Above: Purple Loosestrife specimen collected in ditch by the Department of Veterans Affairs on Kemp Street in Rhinelander, Wisconsin (8/16/2009).
Above: Purple Loosestrife botanical illustrations.