Diagnostic Characteristics
At a distance, L. salicaria may be confused with Epilobium angustifolium, Verbena hastata, Teucrium canadense, or Liatris spp. Upon closer examination however, purple loosestrife is easily distinguished from these other magenta-flowered plants.
Habitat
L. salicaria is native to Eurasia and was first reported from the northeastern coast of North America in 1814, (Stuckey 1980). Although purple loosestrife occurs in nearly all sections of the United States, the heaviest concentrations are in the glaciated wetlands of the northeast. Occurrences west of the Mississippi River appear to be scattered (Stuckey 1980), with the species establishing in reclamation projects in the west (Thompson and Jackson 1982).
Purple loosestrife is found in wetlands such as cattail marshes, sedge meadows, and open bogs. L. salicaria also occurs along stream and river banks and lake shores. In addition, the plant is found in ditches and other disturbed wet soil areas.
L. salicaria grows best in high organic soils, but tolerates a wide range of soils including clay, sand, muck, and silt (Thompson and Jackson 1982). Generally, the plant is found in full sun, but it can survive in 50% shade (Thompson and Jackson 1982). Typical associates include Typha latifolia, T. glauca, Phragmites australis, Spartina sp., Scirpus spp., and Carex spp. (Thompson and Jackson 1982).
Ecology
Purple loosestrife begins to bloom in July and continues until September or October. The flowers are pollinated by several different types of bees from the Megachilinae, Apinae, Xylopinae, and Bombinae; and by several butterflies: Pieris rapae, Colias philodice, and Cercyonis pegala (Balogh 1985). Seed production is prolific. There is an average of 120 seeds per capsule and up to 900 capsules per plant (Rawinski 1982). The lowest capsules on the stem are dehiscing while the upper stem capsules are still green.
The seeds are small, weighing 0.06 mg each (Shamsi and Whitehead 1974). Dispersal is mainly by wind, but seeds can also be transported on the feet of waterfowl or other wetland animals. Red-winged blackbirds have been observed eating the seeds (Rawinski 1982). Humans carry seeds inadvertently on clothing and shoes and in some instances, bee-keepers have purposely sown seeds in headwaters and wetlands to provide a steady source of nectar for their bees. The seeds and cotyledon stage seedlings are buoyant and can be dispersed by water currents (Balogh 1985). The seed bank potential for L. salicaria is enhanced by the high viability of the seeds. Viability decreased from 99% to 80% after two years of storage in a natural body of water (Rawinski 1982).
Seeds of L. salicaria can germinate in acidic or alkaline soils; in soils that are nutrient rich or nutrient poor. Light requirements for germination are minimal (Shamsi and Whitehead 1974). Temperature at the soil surface is a critical factor for germination. Seeds will germinate at temperatures ranging from 15 to 20 degrees C (Balogh 1985). Seeds germinate in high densities--about 10,000 to 20,000/sq. meter (Rawinski 1982). The interval between germination and flowering is eight to ten weeks (Rawinski 1982).
Seedlings that germinate in the spring grow rapidly and will produce a floral shoot up to 30 cm in length the first year. Summer-germinated seedlings develop only five or six pairs of leaves before the end of the growing season (Shamsi and Whitehead 1974). Spring-germinated seedlings have a higher survival rate than summer-germinated seedlings. Open grown shoots have a greater reproductive output than shoots growing in dense stands (Rawinski 1982). Once established, seedlings can survive shallow flooding of up to 30-45 cm in depth (Thompson and Stuckey 1980.).
The taproot is strongly developed in the seedling stage and persists throughout the life of the plant (Shamsi and Whitehead 1974). In mature plants, the taproot and major root branches become thick and woody (Rawinski 1982). The semi-woody aerial shoots die in the fall but persist for one to two years making stands of L. salicaria very dense. New shoots arise the following spring from buds at the top of the rootstocks (Rawinski 1982).
The rootstock is the main organ of perennation and vegetative spread is therefore limited (Shamsi and Whitehead 1974). L. salicaria can spread vegetatively by resprouting from cut stems and regenerating from pieces of root stock (Rawinski 1982).
Infestations of purple loosestrife appear to follow a pattern of establishment, maintenance at low numbers, and then dramatic population increases when conditions are optimal. L. salicaria flourishes in wetland habitats that have been disturbed or degraded from draining, natural drawdown in dry years, bulldozing, siltation, shore manipulation, cattle trampling, or dredging. Mudflats exposed following drawdowns will be quickly colonized if a loosestrife seed source is present. Seeds are usually present in such large numbers and germinate in such high densities that growth of native seedlings is suppressed (Rawinski 1982). Loosestrife crowds or shades out native species and eventually becomes a virtually monospecific stand.
L. salicaria is an extremely successful invader of wetlands that have been subjected to some type of disturbance: drawdown, siltation, drainage, ditching. Expansion in a wetland can be extensive and sudden due to the abundance of seeds produced and the rapid growth of seedlings. High seed viability and prolific seed production can build up a seed bank of massive proportions.
Purple loosestrife seed germinates in such high densities that it outcompetes native seedlings. The buildup of debris around the roots enable loosestrife to invade deeper water and to form dense stands that shade out other emergents and push out floating vegetation by closing open water spaces.