Purple-loosestrife - Lythrum salicaria
Alt Name
Purple Loosestrife
Description
Stout, tall, grey hairy, tufted plant to 1.5 metres. Stems with 4, sometimes more, raised lines. Leaves opposite in whorls of three, the upper sometimes alternate. Flowers reddish purple, 10 to 15 mm in whorls forming long spikes, usually with 6 petals and 12 stamens.
Identification difficulty

Habitat
Freshwater margins.
When to see it
June to August.
Life History
Perennial.
UK Status
Widespread in Britain, but scarce in Scotland except for the west coast.
VC55 Status
Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 41 of the 617 tetrads.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015