Lythrum californicum

California loosestrife

Family: Lythraceae · Type: perennial · Native

California loosestrife is a native perennial herb found in southern North Coast Ranges Interior, Sierra Nevada Foothills, southern Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, Central Western California, Southwest California, White and Inyo Mountains, and Desert regions in marshes and pond and stream margins at elevations below 2,200 meters. Flowering from April to September, this plant produces purple flowers 4 to 8 millimeters long with distinctive heterostylous forms. Growing 20 to 60 centimeters tall with many branching stems that are gray-glaucous and erect, it develops a robust and spreading growth habit. Its leaves range from 1 to 7 centimeters long, with lower leaves opposite and linear, and upper leaves alternate and lance-linear, displaying a subtle gray-green coloration. The plant has a unique floral structure with two style forms and 6 stamens, creating intricate pollination possibilities in wetland habitats.

Habitat: Marshes, pond and stream margins

Bloom period: Apr-Sep

Elevation: < 2200 m

Bioregions: s NCoRI, SNF, s SNH, GV, CW, SW, W&ampI, D

California counties: San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego, Kern, Ventura, Riverside, Orange, Siskiyou, Inyo, Tulare, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Marin, Monterey, Yolo, Fresno, Amador, Alameda, Colusa, Santa Clara, Solano, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, Imperial, San Francisco, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Calaveras, Mendocino, Glenn, Butte, Sutter, Tehama, Madera, Merced, Sacramento, Napa, Tuolumne, Lake, Mono

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.