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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Aquatic Invasives / Aquatic Plants / Purple Loosestrife

Purple Loosestrife

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Purple loosestrife
Purple loosestrife, flower - Photo by Norman E. Rees; USDA, Agricultural Research Service
Scientific Name: 
Lythrum salicaria L. (ITIS)
Common Name: 
Purple loosestrife, spiked loosestrife
Native To: 
Eurasia (Munger 2002)
Date of U.S. Introduction: 
Exact date unknown; was established by the 1830s (Munger 2002)
Means of Introduction: 
Through ships' ballast and as an ornamental (Munger 2002)
Impact: 
Crowds out native species (Munger 2002)

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Purple Loosestrife
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.
Pest Tracker - Survey Status of Purple Loosestrife
USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. National Agricultural Pest Information System.

Images

Google Images - Purple Loosestrife
Google.
Invasive.org - Purple Loosestrife
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Purple Loosestrife

Google. YouTube; Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Fish & Wildlife Department.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Purple Loosestrife.

Council or Task Force
Fact Sheet: Purple Loosestrife (Jan 2014) (PDF | 986 KB)
Alberta Invasive Species Council (Canada).
See also: Fact Sheets for more information about individual invasive species, including those listed as "Prohibited Noxious" and "Noxious" under the Alberta Weed Control Act
Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Lythrum salicaria

California Invasive Plant Council.

In online book: Bossard, C.C., J.M. Randall, and M.C. Hoshovsky (Editors). 2000. Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA
Invasive Plants of Ohio: Fact Sheet 4 - Purple Loosestrife (PDF | 319 KB)
Ohio Invasive Plants Council.
See also: Invasive Plants of Ohio for worst invasive plant species identified in Ohio's natural areas
Priority Species: Purple Loosestrife

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant Manual - Purple Loosestrife
Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council.
Species of Concern Fact Sheet: Purple Loosestrife
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.
Partnership
Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Purple Loosestrife and European Wand Loosestrife (Feb 8, 2011) (PDF | 168 KB)
University of Alaska - Anchorage. Alaska Center for Conservation Science.
See also: Non-Native Plant Species List for additional factsheets (species biographies) and species risk assessment reports of non-native species present in Alaska and also non-native species currently not recorded in Alaska (potential invasives).
GLANSIS - Purple Lythrum

DOC. NOAA. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory; DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.

Global Invasive Species Database - Lythrum salicaria (aquatic plant, herb)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invaders Factsheet: Purple Loosestrife
Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Purple Loosestrife
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Lythrum salicaria
CAB International.
New York Invasive Species Information - Purple Loosestrife

New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse.

Plantwise Technical Factsheet - Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
CABI. Plantwise Knowledge Bank.
Texas Invasives Database - Lythrum salicaria
TexasInvasives.org.
The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - Purple Loosestrife

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).

Federal Government
Exotic Species: Purple Loosestrife (2010)

DOI. NPS. Science of the American Southwest.

See also: Invasive Plant Species for more fact sheets.
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Lythrum salicaria
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS): Chesapeake Bay Introduced Species Database - Lythrum salicaria
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab.
PLANTS Database - Purple Loosestrife
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
Spread, Impact, and Control of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in North American Wetlands
HathiTrust Digital Library.
Thompson, D. Q. (1987). Spread, impact, and control of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in North American wetlands. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Lythrum salicaria

USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

State and Local Government
Environmental Fact Sheet: Purple Loosestrife (2019) (PDF | 767 KB)

New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

See also: Publications - Invasive for more resources

Aquatic Invasive Species - Purple Loosestrife

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Class B Noxious Weed: Purple Loosestrife
Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Lythrum genus
California Department of Food and Agriculture.
See also: Included on California's noxious weed list; see Encycloweedia: Program Details for additional resources
Field Guide: Invasive - Purple Loosestrife
Missouri Department of Conservation.
See also: Problem Plant Control (scroll to Invasive Plants section) for more information to help you identify and control most common invasive plants in Missouri
Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Purple Loosestrife (PDF | 128 KB)

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for plant species (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and aquatic plants) that have impacted the state's natural lands

King County (Washington) Noxious Weed Control Program - Purple Loosestrife
King County Department of Natural Resources (Washington). Water and Land Resources Division.
Maryland's Invasive and Exotic Species - Purple Loosestrife

Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Wildlife and Heritage Service.

Noxious Weed Species - Purple Loosestrife

Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.

Purple Loosestrife

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Academic
Aquatic Invasive Species in the Chesapeake Bay - Purple Loosestrife (Sep 2013) (PDF | 115 KB)

Maryland Sea Grant.

See also: Six Species of Concern for more fact sheets
Invasive Plant Fact Sheet - Purple Loosestrife (Nov 2011) (PDF | 189 KB)
University of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Flora Project of Morris Arboretum.
See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for additional invasive plants in Pennsylvania
Identification and Control of Purple Loosestrife
North Dakota State University. Extension Service.
Publication W1132
Introduced Species Summary Project - Purple loosestrife
(New York) Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Maine Invasive Plants Bulletin: Purple Loosestrife
University of Maine. Cooperative Extension.
See also: Maine Invasive Plants & Entire Series for entire series of 22 fact sheets and invasive plants brochure (available in HTML/PDF or for purchase)
Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Purple Loosestrife
Ohio State University. Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
Purple Loosestrife: What You Should Know, What You Can Do

University of Minnesota. Minnesota Sea Grant.

Professional
Noxious Weed Information - Purple Loosestrife
Colorado Weed Management Association.
Weed Identification - Purple Loosestrife
Montana Weed Control Association.

Citations

  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Lythrum salicaria. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014].
  • Munger, G.T. 2002. Lythrum salicaria. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.