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Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria Purple Loosestrife, a wetland perennial from Europe, was introduced to the United States in the 1800s as a medicinal herb, nectar plant for honeybees, and garden plant. It also arrived here unintentionally as a contaminant in ship ballast. Free from the insects and diseases of its homeland, Purple Loosestrife has a competitive advantage over native wetland vegetation and is now widely dispersed. It has spread rapidly in the Midwest in recent years, threatening not only native plant (including rare species) but also the wildlife that depend on them for food and shelter. Once Purple Loosestrife is well established in an area, it can overrun wetlands and eliminate almost all other vegetation. Unfortunately, Purple Loosestrife is still promoted by some horticulturists for its beauty and by beekeepers as a nectar source. Twenty-four states, including Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin, have laws to discourage the spread of Purple Loosestrife. In Wisconsin, for example, it is illegal to sell, distribute, plant, or cultivate Purple Loosestrife or any of it cultivars. Purple Loosestrife is too pretty for its own good Habitat: Moist soil to shallow water (established plants will tolerate dry soil); sand to clay; sun to partial shade; can adjust to a wide range of growing conditions including flooding in up to 18 inches of water ;sometimes planted in gardens where it spreads to nearby wetlands, lakes, and rivers. Height: 3-7 feet tall, or more. Leaves: Simple; usually opposite on stems but sometimes alternate or bunched in whorls; lance-shaped; without petioles; edges are smooth; sometime downy. Purple Loosestrife flower x7 Flowers: Showy; individual flowers have five or six pink or rose-purple petals that are 0.50-0.75 inches across and surround small, yellow center; closely attached to the stem; bloom from the bottom of the flower spike up to the top form early July to September; plants can become quite large and several years old before flowering begins. Seeds: Borne in capsules that burst at maturity in late July or August; main means of spread; single stems can produce 100,000-300,000 seeds annually. Large mature plants with fifty or more stems can release two million seeds each year; survival rate is 60-70% resulting in an extensive seed bank that remains viable for twenty years; can live twenty months submerged in water; most fall near parent plant; water, animal, boats, and humans assist in transporting them long distanced; disturbances such as reduced water levels, damaged vegetation, or exposed soil increase germination; sterile hybrids sold by nurseries can pollinate wild loosestrife to produce viable seeds. Purple Loosestrife can grow to heights of 7 feet or more Stems: 1-50 per plant; upright; stiff; usually foursided (occasionally five or six sided); green to purple; often branching, making the plant bushy in appearance; somewhat woody; die back each year; clipped, trample, or buried stems may produce new shoots and roots. Similar Species: Garden Loosestrife (Lythrum vulgaris) is also an escaped nonnative purple loosestrife, but not nearly as invasive. Both may be confused with the native wing-angled loosestrife (Lythrum alatum) that is found in moist prairies and wet meadows. Native loosestrife has winged, square stems and solitary flower sin the leaf axils; lowers leaves are paired, upper leaves alternate; generally a smaller plant than Purple Loosestrife. Purple Loosestrife is also sometimes confused with Fireweed (Ephiobium angustifolium), Blazing stars (Liatris spp.), and Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid (Plantanthera psycodes). See photos at end of report. Purple Loosestrife flowers out of its axils Control: Prevention is the most important element of Purple Loosestrife control. Plants in gardens should be removed. Wetlands should be checked annually for the presence of loosestrife, especially in July when flowering begins and plants are easy to spot. Ideally, since plants do not all flower at the same time, sites should be A wetland with lots of Purple Loosestrife is soon a wetland with little wildlife. patrolled three times during the growing season, at one-month intervals after flowering begins. Isolated small colonies, especially in areas otherwise free of loosestrife, should be targeted for control first. Clean boots, shoe, and clothing carefully before leaving infested areas. Rinse all equipment, including boats and trailers, to prevent the spread of seeds. If you can positively identify Purple Loosestrife, it is a good idea to start a control effort early in the growing season because plants may hold viable seed once flowering begins. Be careful not to leave loosestrife stems or cutting behind since they can root or continue seed development. Control efforts should e completed before the earliest flower, those lowest on the stems, disperse seeds. Follow-up control is critical for at least three years. Manual or Mechanical Control: Small plants can be hand pulled. Older plants can be removed with a shovel, but avoid leaving behind any roots. Use caution when pulling or digging since disturbing the soil may encourage more seed germination. Removed plants parts should be landfilled, dried, and burned, or buried deeply in an area that will not be disturbed. The only creatures that eat this tall European flower are European beetles; as a result the purple plague has overrun wetlands in 42 states from Maine to California, filled in open water and pushed several species of rare amphibians and butterflies to the brink. Mowing is not recommended because it can spread plant fragments and seeds, expose the seed bank to more sunlight, and lead to further seed germination. For limited control, cut budding stems at the base, and then bag them to make sure that seed development or spread does not occurred. Continue this process because the plants will resprout. This method is of limited value because Purple Loosestrife will continue to spread by its root system. Chemical Control: If applying herbicides near open water, a permit may be required. Check with the aquatic plant coordinator at your local natural resources department to see what kind of herbicide you may use. Some states, like Minnesota, require posting “Purple Loosestrife Control Site” signs along public waterways or wetlands to notify anyone who may swim, fish, or boat in the area. A selective herbicide control method involves applying a solution of 30% a.i. glyphosate to the raw area of freshly cut stems after the flowering portions have been removed. Treat all stems in a clump. This is generally the least destructive and most effective method of small infestations. A close up photo of Purple Loosestrife flowers Currently, glyphosate formulated for use over water is the most commonly used chemical for killing Purple Loosestrife. Rodeo® is a good choice. Hand-spraying individual plants should be done in July or August. Use 1.5-3% a.i. glyphosate and an adjustable herbicide spray nozzle that will minimize overspray to nontarget plants. About 25% of the plants should be covered. Broadcast spraying of glyphosate is not recommended since it will kill too many nontarget plants. After spraying the herbicide, any Purple Loosestrife flower heads should be cut, bagged, and removed from the site. Another type of foliar herbicide application, known as “the bloody glove technique” involves an absorbent cotton glove that has been sprayed with 5% a.i. glyphosate. The applicator, who wears chemicalresistant gloves on both hands with the cotton glove over one of them, works with another individual who cuts and bags the flowering portion of the Purple Loosestrife plant. The applicator then grabs the remaining plant with the treated glove about onethird the way down from the top and moves the herbicide laden glove up the stem. In order to keep track of the treated areas, a dye should be added to the herbicide before work begins. Workers also wear chemical resistant clothing when performing the type of application. In its native habitat, Purple Loosestrife only comprises 1-4% of the native vegetation, but in North America, densities of up to 80,000 stalks per acre have been recorded. A 5% a.i. solution of triclopyr approved for aquatic conditions can be mixed with water and sprayed on loosestrife foliage. Unlike glyphosate, triclopyr will not harm monocots, such as grasses, sedges, cattails, rushes, or reeds, when used according to label directions. Biological Control: Biological control is currently considered the best option for large-scale control of heavy Purple Loosestrife infestations. Research involving the use of several of its natural insect enemies of Europe, especially Galerucella beetles, has been encouraging. Most of these insects feed almost exclusively on Purple Loosestrife and are little threat to native plants. Although they may eat native loosestrife, they prefer t he exotic species. If handled properly, one hundred beetles can multiply to as many as ten thousand in just a few months. As the supply of Purple Loosestrife plants is depleted, beetles die or move on in search of more loosestrife. Prevention, early detection, and control are still crucial in limiting the impact of Purple Loosestrife. If resources are adequate, and fast remedies are needed for small isolated populations of loosestrife, it is often best of use traditional methods of control to limit seed spread rather than waiting for beetle establishment. For It is at once a beauty and a beast. In its seductive purple splendor, it spells death for everything in its way. Purple Loosestrife has no natural predators in this country. It displaces native plants species (and consequently native animals that rely on native plants), is a poor filter of silt and pollutants, and grows so densely in wetlands that it crowds out fish and waterfowl. more details on biological control, contact the aquatic plant coordinator at your local natural resourced department. Most Midwestern states have programs that help people raise beetles for the biological control of Purple Loosestrife. See North American Purple Loosestrife control contacts at http://misegrant.umich.edu/pp/nacontacts.htm It is important to know the difference between Purple Loosestrife and native wildflowers. Fireweed: Epilobium angustifolium The flowers of Fireweed are often more pinkish and do not come out of the leaf axils Lesser Fringed Purple Orchid: Platanthera psycodes Notice the fringes on the bottom petals. Dense Blazing star: Liatris spicata Dense Blazing stars flowers do not come out of its leafs axils