Common Loosestrife
Lysimachia vulgaris
Common Loosestrife is an upright, perennial herb that reaches heights of 50 to 150 centimeters. It is characterized by its ovate-lanceolate leaves, which are usually arranged in whorls of three or four on the hairy stem. The golden-yellow flowers are clustered in terminal panicles and appear during the summer months from June to August. The plant is a typical inhabitant of nutrient-rich riparian zones, wet meadows, and fens.
Details
Habitat function
Serves as cover for riparian fauna and as a specialized food source for insects.
Nutrient uptake
High uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus from water-saturated soils.
Food source for
Oil-collecting bees (Macropis europaea), various hoverflies, and butterfly larvae.
Human use
Formerly used as a dye plant for wool (yellow/green) and as a medicinal plant for diarrhea and wounds; today often used as an ornamental plant for ponds.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important pioneer plant in silting communities; provides pollen and floral oils to specialized oil-collecting bees (Macropis).
Natural predators
Caterpillars of moths and specialized leaf beetles.
Competitor species
Other tall herbs such as Filipendula ulmaria (Meadowsweet) or Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canary Grass).
Ecosystem service
Shoreline stabilization through rhizome formation, provision of food for pollinators, nutrient retention in wetlands.
Threats
Drainage of wet meadows, intensive bank reinforcement, and changes in land use.
Scientific profile
Profile
Reproduction
Both generative via seeds and very effectively vegetative through the stoloniferous growth of the rhizomes.
Protection & threats
Main threats
Drainage of wet meadows, intensive bank engineering, and the abandonment of extensive management of ditch margins.