Purple Loosestrife | National Invasive Species Information Center

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)

Purple loosestrife, flower

Credit

Photo by Norman E. Rees; USDA, Agricultural Research Service

Source

Invasive.org.

Find more images

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.
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Point Map - Purple Loosestrife
- DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
- Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.
Pest Tracker - Survey Status of Purple Loosestrife
- USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. National Agricultural Pest Information System.

Videos

YouTube - How to: ID and Manage Purple Loosestrife
- Google. YouTube; Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (Canada).
YouTube - Purple Loosestrife
- Google. YouTube; Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Fish & Wildlife Department.

All Resources

View and Filter All Purple Loosestrife Resources

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force

Fact Sheet: Purple Loosestrife [PDF, 986 KB]
- Jan 2014
- 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.

Partnership

Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Purple Loosestrife and European Wand Loosestrife [PDF, 168 KB]
- Feb 8, 2011
- 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. PlantwisePlus 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.
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Fact Sheet - Purple Loosestrife
- DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
- Provides distribution maps and collection information (State and County).
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.
- Citation: 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 [PDF, 767 KB]
- 2019
- 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: Invasive and 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 ID - Purple Loosestrife
- Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.
Purple Loosestrife
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Academic

Identification and Control of Purple Loosestrife
- Apr 2018
- North Dakota State University. Extension Service.
- Publication W1132
Aquatic Invasive Species in the Chesapeake Bay - Purple Loosestrife [PDF, 115 KB]
- Sep 2013
- Maryland Sea Grant.
- See also: Six Species of Concern for more fact sheets
Invasive Plant Fact Sheet - Purple Loosestrife [PDF, 189 KB]
- Nov 2011
- University of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Flora Project of Morris Arboretum.
- See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for additional invasive plants in Pennsylvania
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: Natural Resources Publications for entire "Maine Invasive Plants" series
Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Purple Loosestrife
- Ohio State University. Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

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 21, 2023].
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.