''Lythrum'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of 38 species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and enterta ...

to the

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

world. Commonly known as loosestrife (a name they share with ''

Lysimachia ''Lysimachia'' () is a genus consisting of 193 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae, before this family wa ...

'', which are not closely related), they are among 32 genera of the family

Lythraceae Lythraceae is a family of flowering plants, including 32 genera, with about 620 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees. The larger genera include '' Cuphea'' (275 spp.), '' Lagerstroemia'' (56), '' Nesaea'' (50), '' Rotala'' (45), and '' Lythru ...

Description

They are

herbaceous 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 ...

annual Annual may refer to: * Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual * Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

s or

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s. Typically they have square stems, narrow stalkless leaves, and spikes of star-shaped flowers in shades of purple, pink and white. They are especially associated with boggy areas, river banks and ponds, though in cultivation they often tolerate drier conditions. The species ''L. salicaria'' (purple loosestrife) and ''L. virgatum'' are found in cultivation.

Selected species

Species include:''Lythrum'' L.

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

PLANTS.Common name for ''L. junceum'' Common name for ''L. wilsonii''

Formerly placed here

*''

Cuphea carthagenensis ''Cuphea'' is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species range from low-growing herbaceous plants to semi-woody shrubs up to tall. Co ...

'' (Jacq.) J.F.Macbr. (as ''L. carthagenense'' Jacq.) *''

Cuphea melanium ''Cuphea'' is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species range from low-growing herbaceous plants to semi-woody shrubs up to tall. Co ...

'' (L.) R.Br. ex Steud. (as ''L. melanium'' L.) *''

Cuphea parsonsia ''Cuphea'' is a genus containing about 260 species of Annual plant, annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species range from low-growing herbaceous plant, herbaceous plants to se ...

'' (L.) R.Br. ex Steud. (as ''L. parsonsia'' L.) * ''Cuphea racemosa'' subsp. ''racemosa'' (as ''L. racemosum'' L.f.) *'' Cuphea viscosissima'' Jacq. (as ''L. petiolatum'' L.) *''

Pleurophora anomala ''Pleurophora'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lythraceae. The native range of its species spans from Venezuela to southern South America. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Pleurophora'': *'' ...

'' (A. St.-Hil.) Koehne (as ''L. anomalum'' A.St.-Hil.) *''

Woodfordia fruticosa ''Woodfordia fruticosa'' is a species of plant in the family Lythraceae. Distribution ''Woodfordia fruticosa'' is found in: E-Tanzania, Madagascar, Comores, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Myanmar urma Urma was a village development committee in Kailal ...

'' (L.) Kurz (as ''L. fruticosum'' L.)

Morphology

Some species of ''Lythrum'' are heterostylous, such as the tristylous (occurring in three forms) ''L. salicaria''.

Ecology

''Lythrum'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e of some Lepidoptera species, including the small emperor moth, the engrailed, the

Hebrew character The Hebrew character (''Orthosia gothica'') is a moth in the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found throughout Europe. Both the common and binomial names ...

, and the V-pug.

As a noxious weed in the United States

The genus ''Lythrum'' is listed as a noxious weed in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Fossil record

So far the oldest evidence of Lythrum is fossil pollen from the early

Campanian The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campani ...

, 82-81 Ma of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the sou ...

.Graham, Shirley A. “Fossil Records in the Lythraceae.” Botanical Review, vol. 79, no. 1, 2013, pp. 48–145., www.jstor.org/stable/41809868. Accessed 20 Sept. 2020.

References

Lythraceae genera {{Myrtales-stub