Invasive SpeciesPurple loosestrife

Lythrum salicaria
FOUND by manyeyes
2009-08-08
Waterville
ID Confirmed
Quality checked by
Peer reviewed by
Field Notes
I'm happy because I'm enjoying a garden walk in one of my favorite places on the planet. I'm stopping to look closely at the leaves and stems and flowers of as many plants as I can in 15 minutes. I'm looking specifically for invasive purple loosestrife and native wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace....bird's nest....this one has too many common names to count!). They should both be in bloom at this time of year, which makes my investigation that much sweeter (smelling). Plenty of Japanese beetles here too, but I'm on a plant mission today. Focus. Focus.
Supporting Evidence
Photo of my evidence.
Oh yes, I think I stumbled upon some invasive purple loosestrife growing sneakily between a white pine hedge and a chain link fence. I can prove it. Evidence #1. The flower. There are lots of smaller-than-penny-size pink/purple flowers on spikes. The flowers each have 5 petals.
Photo of my evidence.
Evidence #2. The stem. It's square. I took a cross-section. The square sides show up better than I thought they would. Evidence #2.5. This photo also shows that the leaves are opposite on the stem, and have smooth edges. They're also pretty hairy.
Photo of my evidence.
Evidence #3. It's tall. Note the 6 foot tall fence. This loosestrife means business. It is nearly as tall as the fence.
Species Observation: Species Looked For
Did you find it?: 
I think I found it
Scientific name:
Lythrum salicaria
Common name:
Purple loosestrife
Sampling method: 
Just looking around
Photo of our sampling method.
Place Studied
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Map this species
Latitude: 
N 44.550887 °
Longitude: 
W -69.645681 °
Observation Site Information
A photo of our study site.
Name:
manyeyes's visit to Brooklyn Avenue
Habitat: 
Upland - Developed areas
Trip Information
Name:
Brooklyn Avenue
Trip date: 
Sat, 2009-08-08 14:30
Town or city: 
Waterville
Type of investigation: 
Species Survey
Ecosystem: 
Upland
Watershed: 
Lower Kennebec
Sampling Method: 
Just looking around
Nearest waterbody: 
Messalonskee Stream

Comments

Submitted by vitalsleuth on Tue, 2009-08-18 22:19.

Good cents

Thanks for putting a penny in your photo. It really helps to know how big or (in this case) how small the flowers, leaves, etc. are.