Lythrum salicaria

5th June 2022

Lythrum salicaria

Purple Loosestrife is not really related to the Lysimachias: it is what the RHS calls a 'robust' herbaceous perennial, now that we no longer consider wild plants as weeds. It can reach 1.2m, with narrow, willowy leaves, and long spikes of small vivid purplish-pink flowers. In the wild it grows throughout Europe in wet meadows and boggy stream margins, and is considered an invasive species in New Zealand and North America where it outcompetes native plants. However it is seen as an example of successful biological control - two types of beetle and three weevils use it as a food source and can help control it.