Beekeepers were even encouraged to plant purple loosestrife to provide honey bees with flowers to visit in wetlands since most wet meadows and swamps are considered unproductive as bee forage. Lythrum virgatum or 'wand loosestrife' is believed by some to be a separate species, but North American taxonomists don't recognize this as a valid species. Horticultural selections of Lythrum spp. Noxious weed laws vary from state to state but in general they prohibit the cultivation, propagation, transportation and sale of these plants. Growth habits and impact on wetlands.
Purple loosestrife forms a woody crown from which it sends up new shoots each year.
The old stems often stay erect and in dense stands prevent light from penetrating to the soil surface effectively reducing competition by native species. In a loosestrife infested wetland, the erect dead stems restrict access to open water by resident and migratory waterfowl. Although there has been little research documenting reduction in waterfowl numbers in loosestrife infested wetlands, there is agreement among many research scientists and wildlife managers that purple loosestrife does reduce the quality of wildlife habitat. Seed is the primary means of dispersal. Seed is exceedingly small and dispersal is by moving water or by transport of contaminated soil as it clings to motor vehicles and animals as they move through a loosestrife infested wetland.