Lythrum salicaria Purple-loosestrife CC DD N
This is quite a common plant of late summer usually found at the edges of ponds, lakes or in wet dune slacks. Although named after Lysimachos, King of Thrace, a similar Greek word lusimachos means "ending strife".
It has however caused much strife in North America where it is sometimes called the Beautiful Killer because of its ability to swamp wetlands with huge stands of rapidly spreading plants. It is an invasive alien in North America and is greeted with the same welcome that we treat Fallopia japonica (Japanese Knotweed) in the UK.
Lythrum salicaria is common in England, Wales and Ireland but in Scotland is only found in good numbers in the west.
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| Lythrum salicaria Purple-loosestrife |
LHS: Pond near Rudheath, Cheshire 3rd September 2005 RHS Dune slack, Sefton Coast, 23rd July 2005
Added on September 4th 2005, updated Nov 6th 2010, updated December 10th 2010