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Purple Loosestrife

Lythrum salicaria

Found in swamps, marshes, other wet places. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

-55
Severe harm

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
2–6 feet
Spread
2–4 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Virginia.

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Swamp Rosemallow
    Hibiscus moscheutos

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Pink, red or white.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

  • Bushy St. John's-wort
    Hypericum densiflorum

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, bloom season

  • Shrubby St. John's-wort
    Hypericum prolificum

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to September

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 45 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Swamps

View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina
Named place / source context. Shown: Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, as titled by Museum of Fine Arts Boston; nineteenth-century artistic interpretation, a neighboring state.View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, Regis Francois Gignoux, 1850. Public domain. Source record.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 193 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Lythrum

  • Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Callosamia anguliferaTulip-Tree Silkmoth
  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Show all 13
  • Melanchra assimilisBlack Arches
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Agonopterix lythrella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lythrum

  • Coturnicops noveboracensisYellow Rail
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Lythraceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–9b
Flower color
Pink or purple

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources