Lysimachia fraseri

There are several Lysimachia with yellow flowers in the range of L. fraseri. Lysimachia fraseri and L. terresteris are most similar as both have yellow terminal inflorescences (flowers are grouped at the end of the main stem) and small leaves mixed with the flowers. However, in L. terrestris, the flowers are in a simple raceme, and the leaves are generally opposite. In L. fraseri, the inflorescence is made up of multiple racemes, and the leaves are in whorls of 3-5. (TN ESD 1992b)

Lysimachia fraseri appears to be more closely related to the Eurasian L. vulgaris than to other native American species (Ray 1956). L. vulgaris, Garden Lysimachia, occasionally escapes cultivation in the eastern U.S. (Gleason & Cronquist 1991). The stem of L. vulgaris is viscid-pilose above, while L. fraseri has a stem glandular-puberulent above and leaves with dark-glandular margins (Ray 1956).

When plants are sterile, L. fraseri may be confused with L. quadrifolia. A useful vegetative key has been developed by Alan Weakley. Contact the North Carolina Heritage Program, Dept. of Environment, Health and Recreation, Box 27687, Raleigh, NC 27611. Telephone: (919) 733-7701.

Lysimachia fraseri is generally found in wet areas such as alluvial meadows, moist stream and river banks, flats along streams, moist pastures, and roadside ditches (TN ESD 1992b, Herkert 1991). It is also known from rocky upland and hardwood forests (AL NHS 1994, IL NHD 1994, Weakley 1994a) and alluvial soil (TN ESD 1992b, Radford et al. 1968). The species generally occurs in habitats that are maintained by natural or anthropogenic disturbances.

Because L. fraseri occurs in areas that experience cyclic disturbance, populations are likely to undergo natural periods of increase and decline (Gaddy 1994). After disturbance creates favorable conditions, L. fraseri increases. As succession progresses, increasing competition from other herbaceous plants and shading by woody vegetation causes L. fraseri to decline. The average population life cycle for L. fraseri in habitat undergoing succession may be up to 20 years (Gaddy 1994).

Plants in heavily shaded situations may remain sterile for many years until a gap opens in the canopy, after which the plant responds vigorously, flowering and setting fruit (Weakley 1994a).

In Georgia Lysimachia fraseri flowers in mid-June through July and the fruiting period is September and October (Patrick et al. 1994).

In Tennessee, L. fraseri is vegetative in April and May, flowers in June and July, and turns to fruit in August that ripen in September to October. It is dormant from December to March (TN ESD 1992b).

Possible insect associates include Macropis ciliata, M. patellata, and M. steironimata steironimata (Simpson et al. 1983).