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Swamp Loosestrife

Decodon verticillatus

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in natural lakes, limesink ponds, peatlands, peaty swamps. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

49
Good

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 8 feet
Spread
6–8 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Wet to standing water

Space about 7 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
July to September
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Recorded in 11 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Swamps

The Land of Evangeline
Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874)The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record. scaled to 1280 x 923 by the Wikimedia thumbnailer from 4096 x 2953; no crop or other change

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 65 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (29)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Decodon

  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Darapsa versicolorHydrangea Sphinx
  • Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
6BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Decodon

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded eating Decodon in Louisiana

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Birds that eat Decodon 1

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Lythraceae
Hardiness
Zones 3–9
Flower color
Red
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Spreads to form colonies
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Water Oleander; Water Willow

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Forms colonies. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as colonizing. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources