''Lysimachia punctata'', the dotted loosestrife, large yellow loosestrife, circle flower, or spotted loosestrife, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

species in the family

Primulaceae The Primulaceae ( ), commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the Onagraceae, evening primrose family), are a family (biology), family of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden pla ...

Description

''Lysimachia punctata'' is a

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

growing up to about 1.2m in height. The flowers have five petals, sepals and stamens and are produced in dense groups in the axils of leaves. The leaves are opposite and ovate. Both the leaves and the flower parts are hairy. The petals are fringed with hairs and the hairy sepals all-green, without the orange margin of L. vulgaris.

Distribution

It is native to SE Europe east to the Caucasus, introduced as a garden plant and widely naturalized as a

garden escape An escaped plant is a cultivated plant that has escaped from agriculture, forestry or garden cultivation and has become naturalized in the wild. Usually not native to an area, escaped plants may become invasive. Therefore, escaped plants are th ...

on rough ground, roadsides and damp places.

References

punctata Flora of Europe Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Primulaceae-stub