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Honey Petal Plants
Lythrum alatum - Winged Loosestrife
Lythrum alatum - Winged Loosestrife
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Sizes available: HPP quart
Basics: zones 3-8, 3-5' x 2-3', full sun, the blooms are rosy, pink-purple with a slightly crinkled and papery texture and occur in the summer, wants moist to wet soils, but is not particular as to soil type.
Common names: Winged Loosestrife
Family: Lythraceae
Origin/Distribution: Ontario and the central and eastern United States all the way south to most of Florida. This plant is listed as endangered in Connecticut, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Native but uncommon in Maine.
Habitat: sunny marsh, wet meadow or field, shoreside, really any wet edge with good light
More: Maine is the northernmost point of Lythrum alatum's range and might be why some sources classify it as a sub-shrub and some a perennial. Perhaps in warmer climates it does not die back to the crown. In Maine, it will die back to the crown and put on a significant amount of growth in a single year. It certainly looks like a small shrub. Some of the numerous insects that visit Winged Loosestrife: long-tongued bees, green metallic bees, bee flies, butterflies, and skippers. Hummingbirds also love the nectar. Has been used medicinally.
Even more: This is NOT Lythrum salicaria, Purple Loosestrife, which is a non-native invasive in Maine. Lythrum alatum has a smaller flower and a winged stem.
Source: Landscape plugs from Pizzo Native Plant Nursery, grown on at Honey Petal Plants
Image credits: Frank Meuschke from Shelterwood Gardens
