Description: The purple loosestrife is a perennial herb with a square, woody stem. The stem can grow as tall as four to ten feets depending on the condition of the area. Along the stem, leaves grow opposite of each other, usually in twos, but may sometimes be three. Leaves are shaped like hearts or may be rounded and located towards the base of the plant. Flowers appears in late June to July. Each flower has five-seven petals of a magenta color, with a yellow center. Flower spikes has many individual flowers. Purple loosestrife chokes out other plants with its extensive root structure which has anywhere from 30 to 50 shoots.

Distribution and Effect
Purple loosestrife is a native of Eurasia, from Great Britain across the two continents to Japan. Introduced during the 1800s to northeastern U.S. and Canada to be use as ornamentals and medicinal purposes, purple loosestrife spread across the continent. In many places today, except Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, purple loosestrife is still widely sold as an ornamental.

The purple loosestrife adapts readily to different types of wetland environments such as freshwater wet meadows, pond edges, reservoirs, ditches, tidal and non-tidal marshes, and river and stream banks. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, purple loosestrife now occurs in every state except Florida.

With an extended flowering period from June to September, a single purple loosestrife can produce up to 2.7 million seeds. Seeds are small and can be easily disperse by water, wind, wildlife, and humans alike. Somes seeds germinate the following season, but others may lay dormant for several more seasons. The flowers does not require insects to pollinate.

Once purple loosestrife establishes, it will expand and outcompete other plants in the area. Purple loosestrife form dense, homogeneous stands blocking out native plants and reducing habitat for waterfowls. Native plants that were once the home or food source of native wildlife are destroyed and in being so, the wildlife would soon follow the same fate.

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