Garden Loosestrife is a
non-native
perennial plant of the UK, typically found growing in woodland margins, grassland and waste ground, to a mature height of up to 120cm.
Garden Loosestrife, a native of Southeast Europe, was introduced into the UK in the seventeenth century as a garden plant. The name 'Loosestrife' is thought to come from the traditional use of plants of the Lysimachia genus to pacify oxen, by tying the plant around their necks to repel irritating flies. Garden Loosestrife can be distinguished from the native Yellow Loosestrife by the orange centre to its flowers (absent in the native species), and flower clusters extending upwards from the base (restricted to the top of the stem in the native species).
Botanic classification and naming: Garden Loosestrife is a member of the Myrsine (Myrsinaceae) family. The genus name
'Lysimachia' identifies the plant as a Loosestrife and its species name 'punctata' means 'dotted'.
Concerns: Garden Loosestrife spreads quickly by use of rhizomes and so is often culled and discarded, ending up in the wild as a garden 'escape'.
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