Lysimachia terrestris

(L.) B.S.P.

Swamp Loosestrife

G5Secure Found in 34 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.141713
Element CodePDPRI070R0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderPrimulales
FamilyPrimulaceae
GenusLysimachia
Other Common Names
Bog-candles (EN) Bog Loosestrife (EN) earth loosestrife (EN) Earth Loosestrife (EN) Lysimaque terrestre (FR) Swamp-candles (EN) Swamp Yellow Loosestrife (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-15
Change Date1984-06-07
Edition Date2024-08-15
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Lysimachia terrestris is a wide-ranging perennial herb in a variety of wetland habitats natively occurring in eastern North America from Newfoundland and Labrador west to Manitoba, Canada and south to Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri, disjunct in southeastern Oklahoma, United States. It has been introduced in the Pacific Northwest and Europe. Threats include development, succession, hydrological alteration, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Lysimachia terrestris natively occurs in eastern North America from Newfoundland and Labrador west to Manitoba, Canada and south to Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri, disjunct in southeastern Oklahoma, United States (FNA 2009). It has "been introduced in cranberry bogs and is occasionally found on muddy lake shores of the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Oregon, Washington)" and has also been introduced in Europe (FNA 2009). Range extent was estimated to be approximately 5.5 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are thousands of occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, succession, hydrological alteration, invasive species, and other threats in some places. In the southern portion of the species' range, the drainage of bogs and other wetlands is a moderate threat (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002). However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Lysimachia terrestris grows in swamps, swamp forests, flood plains, fens, bogs, stream banks, pond and lake margins, wet meadows, and wet ditches (FNA 2009, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New YorkS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
KentuckyS1Yes
MissouriS1Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
IdahoSNANo
Rhode IslandSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
TennesseeS1Yes
West VirginiaS4Yes
MichiganSNRYes
South CarolinaS1Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
New JerseyS5Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
OklahomaS1Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
GeorgiaS1Yes
MaineSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
WashingtonSNANo
North CarolinaS3Yes
OregonSNANo
VirginiaS5Yes
VermontS5Yes
MarylandSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS5Yes
British ColumbiaSNANo
ManitobaS2Yes
QuebecS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS5Yes
LabradorS3Yes
OntarioS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (34)
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Tripp BranchChattahoochee National Forest615
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
Michigan (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear SwampHuron-Manistee National Forest3,915
Minnesota (4)
AreaForestAcres
Baker - Homer - Brule LakesSuperior National Forest6,712
Brule Lake - Eagle MountainSuperior National Forest12,380
Hegman LakesSuperior National Forest675
Phantom LakeSuperior National Forest6,521
New Hampshire (12)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Dartmouth RangeWhite Mountain National Forest9,233
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
KearsargeWhite Mountain National Forest4,554
KilkennyWhite Mountain National Forest28,766
Kinsman MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,999
Mt. Wolf - Gordon PondWhite Mountain National Forest11,846
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Pemigewasset ExtWhite Mountain National Forest15,840
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big Laurel Branch AdditionCherokee National Forest5,577
Vermont (5)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Lye Brook Addition 09085Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,111
Wilder Mountain 09082Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests8,759
Woodford 09086Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests2,456
Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
West Virginia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Wisconsin (1)
AreaForestAcres
09011 - Flynn Lake Study AreaChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest5,951
References (8)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2009. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 8. Magnoliophyta: Paeoniaceae to Ericaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 585 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  8. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.