Flora of Victoria

Erect herb, annual above ground, perennial below, 50–150 cm tall, glabrous or pubescent; stems angular. Leaves mostly opposite, sometimes in whorls of 3, narrowly ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–7 cm long, 3–15 mm wide, sessile; apex acute; base rounded to auriculate or stem-clasping. Flowers in clusters of 3–5 in upper leaf-axils forming spike-like panicles, subsessile; hypanthium cylindric, 4.5–5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm diam., appendages 5 or 6, subulate, 2–3 mm long; sepals 5 or 6, triangular, c. 1 mm long; petals 5 or 6, spreading, ovate, 8–10 mm long, pink, blue or purple; stamens usually 12, usually dimorphic, 6 long-exserted. Capsule ovoid, shorter than hypanthium, dehiscing by 2 valves. Flowers mainly Sep.–Apr.

DunT, EGL, EGU, Glep, Gold, GGr, HNF, HSF, MonT, MuF, MuM, NIS, OtP, OtR, SnM, Strz, VAlp, VRiv, VVP, WaP, WPro, *CVU, *GipP. Also SA, Qld, NSW, ACT, Tas. Cosmopolitan. Apart from the north and north-west, widespread across much of Victoria, usually in wet and swampy places.

Source: Jeanes, J.A. (1996). Lythraceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae. Inkata Press, Melbourne.

Updated by: Val Stajsic, 2018-03-28

life Life

kingdom Plantae

phylum Tracheophyta

class Magnoliopsida

superorder Rosanae

order Myrtales

family Lythraceae

genus Lythrum

Higher taxa

species Lythrum salicaria L.

Victoria

**Source:** AVH (2014). *Australia's Virtual Herbarium*, Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, <http://avh.chah.org.au>. Find Lythrum salicaria in AVH ; *Victorian Biodiversity Atlas*, © The State of Victoria, Department of Environment and Primary Industries (published Dec. 2014) Find Lythrum salicaria in Victorian Biodiversity Atlas

Bioregion	Occurrence status	Establishment means
Murray Mallee	present	uncertain
Glenelg Plain	present	uncertain
Victorian Volcanic Plain	present	uncertain
Victorian Riverina	present	uncertain
Murray Fans	present	uncertain
Gippsland Plain	present	introduced
Otway Plain	present	uncertain
Warrnambool Plain	present	uncertain
Goldfields	present	uncertain
Central Victorian Uplands	present	introduced
Greater Grampians	present	uncertain
Dundas Tablelands	present	uncertain
Northern Inland Slopes	present	uncertain
East Gippsland Lowlands	present	uncertain
East Gippsland Uplands	present	uncertain
Wilsons Promontory	present	uncertain
Highlands-Southern Fall	present	uncertain
Highlands-Northern Fall	present	uncertain
Otway Ranges	present	uncertain
Strzelecki Ranges	present	uncertain
Monaro Tablelands	present	uncertain
Victorian Alps	present	uncertain
Snowy Mountains	present	uncertain

Bioregions of Victoria

State distribution

State
Western Australia
South Australia
Queensland
New South Wales
Australian Capital Territory
Victoria
Tasmania

Lythrum salicaria L.

Purple Loosestrife

Victoria

State distribution