Purple Loosestrife Invasive Species Alert - Printable PDF Other Common Names: Purple lythrum, rainbow weed, salicaria, spiked loosestrife. This can lead to a reduction in plant diversity, which reduces habitat value to wildlife. Local Concern: Given the right conditions, purple loosestrife can rapidly establish and replace native vegetation. Distribution: Purple loosestrife has been introduced to every state except Florida.
#Purple loose strife full#
It prefers full sun, but can tolerate shade. While seeds can germinate in water, establishment is much more successful in moist substrate that’s not flooded. Habitat: Purple loosestrife thrives along roadsides and in wetlands. Photo courtesy of Steve Dewey, Utah State University,. Photo courtesy of Linda Wilson, University of Idaho,.
#Purple loose strife Patch#
Mechanical removal is not recommended, but if done on a small patch and done very carefully (making sure that all parts of the plant are removed) it can work. The best thing to do is monitor natural areas and work to remove purple loosestrife as soon as it is spotted. Once it is established, purple loosestrife is very hard to control and likely won’t completely disappear in a large patch. Purple loosestrife is in bloom July through October and the flowers are a vivid purple that are very easy to spot from a distance. Purple loosestrife has a square, woody stem and opposite leaves. It has a woody root that can have from 30-50 stems coming from it. The leaves of purple loosestrife start out with lance-shaped leaves, but can become very variable in shape as the plant grows. Furthermore, the stems of purple loosestrife are very unwelcoming to waterfowl and as a result waterfowl do not frequent areas with purple loosestrife.
This can dry up a shallow water habitat and make it into a terrestrial area, destroying the habitat for native aquatic animals that have been living there. When purple loosestrife enters an area its stiff stems can collect debris such as silt (sedimentation). This makes it very easy for it to out-compete native species. Not only do purple loosestrife seeds germinate very rapidly, purple loosestrife grows faster than almost any wetland plant. Like most invasive plants on the Top 12 list for the Grand Traverse region, purple loosestrife forms monocultures that replace native plants in high quality natural areas, which in turn reduces critical food resources for birds, butterflies, and other wild creatures. What problems does purple loosestrife cause?
This plant is illegal to sell, trade, plant, or share in Michigan, per Michigan's Natural Resources Environmental Protection Act (Part 413 of Act 451).Introduced from Eurasia via ship ballast and intentionally as an ornamental garden plant in the 1800s.
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