20 May 2005 Page 1 of 3 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

FACT SHEET: PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE

Purple Loosestrife 

Lythrum salicaria L. 

Loosestrife family (Lythraceae) 

NATIVE RANGE 

Eurasia; throughout Great Britain, and across central and southern Europe to 

central Russia, Japan, Manchuria China, southeast Asia and northern India 

DESCRIPTION 

Purple loosestrife is an erect perennial herb in the loosestrife family, with a square, 

woody stem and opposite or whorled leaves. Leaves are lance-shaped, stalkless, 

and heart-shaped or rounded at the base. Plants are usually covered by a downy 

pubescence. Loosestrife plants grow from four to ten feet high, depending upon 

conditions, and produce a showy display of magenta-colored flower spikes 

throughout much of the summer. Flowers have five to seven petals. Mature plants 

can have from 30 to 50 stems arising from a single rootstock. 

ECOLOGICAL THREAT 

Purple loosestrife adapts readily to natural and disturbed wetlands. As it 

establishes and expands, it outcompetes and replaces native grasses, sedges, 

and other flowering plants that provide a higher quality source of nutrition for 

wildlife. The highly invasive nature of purple loosestrife allows it to form dense, 

homogeneous stands that restrict native wetland plant species, including some 

federally endangered orchids, and reduce habitat for waterfowl. 

DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES 

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, purple loosestrife now occurs 

in every state except Florida. 

HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES 

Purple loosestrife is capable of invading many wetland types, including 

freshwater wet meadows, tidal and non-tidal marshes, river and stream banks, 

pond edges, reservoirs, and ditches. 

BACKGROUND 

Purple loosestrife was introduced to the northeastern U.S. and Canada in the 

1800s, for ornamental and medicinal uses. It is still widely sold as an ornamental, except in states such as Minnesota, 

Wisconsin, and Illinois where regulations now prohibit its sale, purchase and distribution. 

BIOLOGY & SPREAD 

Purple loosestrife enjoys an extended flowering season, generally from June to September, which allows it to produce 

vast quantities of seed. The flowers require pollination by insects, for which it supplies an abundant source of nectar. A 

mature plant may have as many as thirty flowering stems capable of producing an estimated two to three million, minute 

seeds per year. 

Purple loosestrife also readily reproduces vegetatively through underground stems at a rate of about one foot per year. 

Many new stems may emerge vegetatively from a single rootstock of the previous year. "Guaranteed sterile" cultivars of 

purple loosestrife are actually highly fertile and able to cross freely with purple loosestrife and with other native Lythrum 

species. Therefore, outside of its native range, purple loosestrife of any form should be avoided. 
20 May 2005 Page 2 of 3 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 

Small infestations of young purple loosestrife plants may be pulled by hand, 

preferably before seed set. For older plants, spot treating with a glyphosate 

type herbicide (e.g., Rodeo® for wetlands, Roundup® for uplands) is 

recommended. These herbicides may be most effective when applied late in 

the season when plant are preparing for dormancy. However, it may be best to 

do a mid-summer and a late season treatment, to reduce the amount of seed 

produced. 

Biological 

While herbicides and hand removal may be useful for controlling individual 

plants or small populations, biological control is seen as the most likely 

candidate for effective long term control of large infestations of purple loosestrife. As of 1997, three insect species from 

Europe have been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for use as biological control agents. These planteating insects include a root-mining weevil (Hylobius transversovittatus), and two leaf-feeding beetles (Galerucella 

calmariensis and Galerucella pusilla). Two flower-feeding beetles (Nanophyes) that feed on various parts of purple 

loosestrife plants are still under investigation. Galerucella and Hylobius have been released experimentally in natural 

areas in 16 northern states, from Oregon to New York. Although these beetles have been observed occasionally feeding 

on native plant species, their potential impact to non-target species is considered to be low. 

USE PESTICIDES WISELY: Always read the entire pesticide label carefully, follow all mixing and application instructions and wear all 

recommended personal protective gear and clothing. Contact your state department of agriculture for any additional pesticide use 

requirements, restrictions or recommendations. 

NOTICE: mention of pesticide products on this page does not constitute endorsement of any material.

CONTACTS 

For more information on the management of purple loosestrife, please contact: 

 

• Cornell University Non-indigenous Plant Species Program, http://www.invasiveplants.net 

• Virginia Natural Heritage Program. http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/dnh/invinfo.htm 

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PLANTS 

Native species of Liatris (blazing star) have showy pink-purple flower spikes and are an important nectar source for many 

native species of butterflies and other insects. 

OTHER LINKS 

• http://www.invasive.org/search/action.cfm?q=Lythrum%20salicaria 

• http://nbii-nin.ciesin.columbia.edu/ipane/icat/browse.do?specieId=72

AUTHOR 

Jil M. Swearingen, National Park Service, Washington, DC 

PHOTOGRAPHS 

Barry A. Rice, The Nature Conservancy, Davis, CA 

John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Davis, CA 

REFERENCES 

Heidorn, R. and B. Anderson. 1991. Vegetation management guideline: purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria L.). Natural 

Areas Journal 11:172-173. 

LaFleur, A. 1996. Invasive plant information sheet: purple loosestrife. The Nature Conservancy, Connecticut Chapter. 

Malecki, R.A. (et al.). 1993. Biological control of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). BioScience 43 (10):680-686. 

Swearingen, J. 2009. WeedUS Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States: Purple Loosestrife 

(Lythrum salicaria). http://www.invasive.org/weedus/subject.html?sub=3047. 
20 May 2005 Page 3 of 3 

Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/

The Nature Conservancy. Purple Loosestrife: Element Stewardship Abstract. In: Wildland Weeds Management & 

Research Program, Weeds on the Web. 

Thompson, Daniel Q., Ronald L. Stuckey, Edith B. Thompson. 1987. Spread, Impact, and Control of Purple Loosestrife 

(Lythrum salicaria) in North American Wetlands. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 55 pages. 

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 

70874-4490 USA. 

Virginia Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. 1995. Invasive Alien Plant Species of Virginia: Purple 

Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).