Many-fruited False Loosestrife

(Ludwigia polycarpa)

 

   

 

 

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Many-fruited False Loosestrife (Ludwigia polycarpa Short and Peter)

Identification: Flowers small, greenish, petals absent. Flower with 4 sepals, the lower parts forming a squarish box shaped seed capsule, and their apices pointed and recurved. Flowers crowded in the leaf axils and sessile. Stem 4-sided. Leaves elongate, narrow, with smooth outer margins, and tapering toward the base. Plant 6 to 30 inches in height.

Distribution: Minnesota in the west to Ontario in the east, southward to Tennessee, Kansas and Arkansas.

Habitat: Many-fruited False Loosestrife is found in swamps and other wet habitats.

Flowering period: July to September.

Similar Species: The inconspicuous, green flowers, without petals, and with a square seed capsule crowded in the leaf axils will usually identify this species.

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