''Lythrum hyssopifolia'' ( ''L. hyssopifolium'') is a species of flowering plant in the loosestrife family known by the common names hyssop loosestrife and grass-poly. It is native to Europe but it is known elsewhere, including parts of Australia and eastern and western North America, as an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

and sometimes a

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...

. It is rare in the United Kingdom, with occasional isolated populations. It often grows in moist habitats, such as

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es and wet agricultural fields, rice paddies, for example. It is a mostly upright, branching annual or biennial herb growing tall. The oval leaves are arranged oppositely lower on the plant, and often alternately toward the top. They are up to in length. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a terminal spike of flowers with pinkish petals up to half a centimeter (¼") long. The fruit is an oval capsule containing many minute seeds. The Latin word ''hyssopifolia'' (which occurs in several plant names) means "

hyssop ''Hyssopus officinalis'' or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. Due to its purported properties as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expect ...

-leafed".

James Donn James Donn (1758–1813) was an English botanist and gardener. He was trained by William Aiton, a Mentorship, protege of Sir Joseph Banks and was Curator of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Cambridge, from 1790 until his death. His most i ...

, ''Hortus Cantabrigiensis'': or, a Catalogue of Plants, Indigenous and Exotic (1809), p. 5

References

External links

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q159617 hyssopifolia Flora of Lebanon Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Malta