Tag Archives: loosestrife

Flower of the Day: Swamp Candles

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aka swamp loosestrife; Lysimachia terrestris; Primulaceae (primrose family; some authorities place it in the myrsine family)

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This may be one of the few cases where the common names make more sense than the botanical name; the specific epithet “terrestris” means “of the earth”.  Its distribution across North America is a little whacky; it doesn’t occur in the Deep South (except Georgia), the southwest, the Great Plains (except Oklahoma) or the mountains, except in the Pacific Northwest.  It is endangered in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Like yesterday’s FOTD, this is a water-loving species.  It will grow to about three feet tall, wth each flower about half an inch across.  Apparently in some areas this species is known to hybridize freely with other native loosestrifes.

This picture was taken on a late July evening, along the Potomac River just upstream from Cabin John Creek.  The river level was very low.

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Flower of the Day: Fringed Loosestrife

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Lysimachia ciliata; Primulaceae (primrose family); some authorities place it in the Myrsinaceae (myrsine family)

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Of the 22 species of Lysimachia in the continental US and Canada, this one is by far the most common, found everywhere except California, Arizona, Nevada, Louisiana, and the arctic.  Eight native Lysimachias, some of which are threatened or endangered, can be found in Maryland, as well as four alien species.  Two of these, garden yellow loosestrife and creeping jenny, are considered noxious.

The plants stand one to four feel tall, with flowers in the upper leaf axils.  Since the flowers are nodding, the picture above is what you’ll see of them as you walk along; you have to gently move the plant up and back to expose the flowers’ faces:

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