Description: This native perennial plant is up to 3'
tall, branching occasionally from the lower half of the central stem. This
central stem is strongly winged and hairless. The leaves are alternate in the
upper half of the central stem and opposite from each other in the lower half;
they are usually alternate in the smaller side stems. The leaves are up to 4"
long and 2" across, becoming gradually smaller as they ascend the stems. They
are hairless, cordate or lanceolate, and have smooth margins. The inflorescence
consists of a tall narrow spike up to 1½' long. One or two flowers
appear from the axils of small leaves, which are crowded together along the
spike. Each flower is about ½" across or slightly larger, and is
lavender or purple. It has six lobes that flare outward from a tubular calyx;
each lobe has a fine line of darker purple that leads to the throat of the
flower. There are 6 stamens and a pistil that may, or may not, be exerted from
the flower. The calyx is green or purple, with six triangular teeth. The
blooming period occurs from mid- to late summer, and lasts about 1-2 months.
There is no floral scent. The root system consists of a taproot with rhizomes.
The tiny seeds can be carried a considerable distance by wind or water.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and wet to
moist conditions. The soil should be poorly drained and high in organic matter.
Foliar disease is not troublesome. Winged Loosestrife is easier to grow from
transplants, as the tiny seedlings are highly vulnerable to the effect of
summer heat and drought. Mature plants may appear ragged towards the end of the
blooming season, or flop over from lack of support.
Range & Habitat: Winged Loosestrife is widely
distributed in Illinois, but occurs only occasionally in any specific locale
(see
Distribution
Map). Habitats include moist black soil prairies, marshes, fens, borders of
lakes, areas along rivers and drainage ditches, and low-lying ground along
railroads. This plant has trouble competing against dense stands of the taller
wetland grasses.
Faunal
Associations: Many kinds of insects visit the flowers, including
various long-tongued bees, Green Metallic bees, bee flies, butterflies, and
skippers. Among the long-tongued bees, are such visitors as honeybees,
bumblebees, Epeoline Cuckoo bees, Miner bees, and large Leaf-Cutting bees.
Sometimes Syrphid flies feed on the pollen, but they are non-pollinating. The
seeds are too small to be of any interest to birds; little information is
available about this plant's status as a food source to mammalian
herbivores.
Photographic Location:
The photograph was taken along a drainage ditch at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana,
Illinois.
Comments: This native
plant should not be confused with Lythrum salicaria (Purple
Loosestrife). The latter is an aggressive Eurasian plant that invades wetlands
and forms dense stands that exclude other species. It was introduced to the
United States as an ornamental plant. As compared to the native plant, Purple
Loosestrife has wingless stems, a larger size, and slender willow-like leaves
that often have hairs.