Lysimachia
Encyclopedia
Lysimachia is a genus
of flowering plant
s. It is traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae
but should, according to molecular phylogenetic
study, be placed to the family Myrsinaceae
.
, although this name is also used for plants within the genus Lythrum
. The genus is named in honor of Lysimachus, a king of ancient Sicily, who is said to have calmed a mad ox by feeding it a member of the genus.
Lysimachia species are used as food plants by the larva
e of some butterflies and moths
, including the Dot Moth
, Grey Pug
, Lime-speck Pug
, Small Angle Shades
and V-pug
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s. It is traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae
Primulaceae
Primulaceae is a family of flowering plants with about 24 genera, including some favorite garden plants and wildflowers. It is also known as the primrose family.- Genera :...
but should, according to molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogeny
Molecular phylogenetics is the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree...
study, be placed to the family Myrsinaceae
Myrsinaceae
Myrsinaceae, or the Myrsine family, is a rather large family from the order Ericales. It consists of 35 genera and about 1000 species....
.
Characteristics
Lysimachia species often have yellow flowers, and grow vigorously. They tend to grow in damp conditions. Several species within Lysimachia are commonly called loosestrifeLoosestrife
Loosestrife is the common name of a number of different flowering plants. The species belong to two taxonomic genera, Lythrum, within the family Lythraceae, and Lysimachia, within the family Primulaceae.Lythrum species known as loosestrife include:...
, although this name is also used for plants within the genus Lythrum
Lythrum
Lythrum is a genus commonly known as loosestrife. It is one of 32 genera of the family Lythraceae.-Selected species:-Formerly placed here:*Cuphea carthagenensis J.F.Macbr....
. The genus is named in honor of Lysimachus, a king of ancient Sicily, who is said to have calmed a mad ox by feeding it a member of the genus.
Lysimachia species are used as food plants by the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some butterflies and moths
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
, including the Dot Moth
Dot Moth
The Dot Moth is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout Europe apart from the south-east.This is a very distinctive species with very dark brown, almost black, forewings marked with a large white stigma from which the species gets its common name. The hindwings are grey with a dark...
, Grey Pug
Grey Pug
The Grey Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East.The forewings of this species are grey marked with pale fascia and radial lines which give it a mottled appearance. The hindwings are much paler and plainer. Melanism is quite common in...
, Lime-speck Pug
Lime-speck Pug
The Lime-speck Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species throughout the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa....
, Small Angle Shades
Small Angle Shades
The small angle shades is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.As the common name suggests, this species is closely related to the angle shades , and is considerably smaller , but does not especially resemble that species...
and V-pug
V-Pug
The V-Pug is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa. It is well distributed in the British Isles except for the north of Scotland....
.
Selected species
- Lysimachia asperulifoliaLysimachia asperulifoliaLysimachia asperulifolia is a rare species of flowering plant in the Myrsinaceae known by the common name rough-leaved loosestrife and roughleaf yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to the Atlantic coastal plain in North Carolina and northern South Carolina in the United States, where there are 64...
, orth. var. L. asperulaefolia - roughleaf yellow loosestrife - Lysimachia atropurpurea - Purple gooseneck loosestrife
- Lysimachia ciliataLysimachia ciliataLysimachia ciliata is a plant in the Myrsinaceae family. It is a herbaceous plant with opposite, simple leaves, and smooth, green stems. The flowers are yellow, borne in summer. It is native to North America, including most of southern Canada and most of the United States except for the southwest....
L. - Fringed loosestrife (North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
) - Lysimachia clethroides - Gooseneck loosestrife
- Lysimachia congestifloraLysimachia congestifloraLysimachia congestiflora is a flowering plant species in the genus Lysimachia.Lysimachia congestiflora yields the O-methylated flavonol syringetin....
- Lysimachia daphnoidesLysimachia daphnoidesLysimachia daphnoides is a rare species of flowering plant in the Myrsinaceae known by several common names, including Pacific loosestrife, lehua makanoe, kolekole lehua, and kolokolo kuahiwi. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are only three populations remaining on the island of Kauai...
(A.Gray) Hillebr. Lehua makanoe (Island of KauaiKauaiKauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
in HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
) - Lysimachia fraseriLysimachia fraseriLysimachia fraseri is a rare species of flowering plant in the primrose family known by the common name Fraser's yellow loosestrife. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it is listed as an endangered species in several states. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb reaching about a...
Duby - Fraser's yellow loosestrife (Southeastern United StatesSoutheastern United StatesThe Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
) - Lysimachia filifoliaLysimachia filifoliaLysimachia filifolia is a rare species of flowering plant in the Myrsinaceae known by the common name Wailua River yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are two populations on Oahu and one on Kauai. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.This is a small...
C.N.Forbes (Islands of OahuOahuOahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
and Kauai in Hawaii) - Lysimachia hillebrandii Hook.f. ex A.Gray - Kolokolo kuahiwi (Hawaii)
- Lysimachia inikiLysimachia inikiLysimachia iniki is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Myrsinaceae known by the common names Wailua River yellow loosestrife and Wailua River island-loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there is only one known occurrence existing on the island of Kauai...
- Lysimachia lydgateiLysimachia lydgateiLysimachia lydgatei is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Myrsinaceae known by the common name Maui yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are only four occurrences remaining on the island of Maui, the total number of plants under 300...
- Lysimachia maximaLysimachia maximaLysimachia maxima is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Myrsinaceae known by the common name Pelekunu Trail yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are only two small populations remaining on the island of Molokai...
(R.Knuth) H.St.John (Island of MolokaiMolokaiMolokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
in Hawaii) - Lysimachia minoricensisLysimachia minoricensisLysimachia minoricensis is a species of plant in the Primulaceae family. It was endemic to Spain. Its natural habitat was Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. It became extinct within its natural range due to habitat loss.-Source:...
J.J.Rodr. (SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) - Lysimachia nemorum L. - Yellow pimpernel
- Lysimachia nummulariaLysimachia nummulariaLysimachia nummularia is a low, creeping plant of the genus Lysimachia. It is commonly called Creeping Jenny, Moneywort, Herb Twopence and Twopenny grass.-Distribution:...
L. - Creeping Jenny, Moneywort (EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
) - Lysimachia pendensLysimachia pendensLysimachia pendens is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Myrsinaceae known by the common name broadleaf yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there is a single occurrence known on the island of Kauai...
- Lysimachia punctataLysimachia punctataLysimachia punctata is a plant species in the genus Lysimachia....
- spotted loosestrife - Lysimachia scopulensisLysimachia scopulensisLysimachia scopulensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Myrsinaceae known by the common name shiny-leaf yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are two small populations on the island of Kauai. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States...
- Lysimachia sertulata - Chilean melilukul
- Lysimachia quadrifoliaLysimachia quadrifoliaLysimachia quadrifolia is a herbaceous plant in the Myrsinaceae family. It has simple leaves in whorls of 3-7 , and erect stems. It grows to a height of about one meter. The flowers have five pointed, yellow petals with a splash of red near the center.It is native to the eastern United States and...
L. - Whorled loosestrife (Eastern North America) - Lysimachia terrestrisLysimachia terrestrisLysimachia terrestris is a plant in the Primulaceae family.-Description:Lysimachia terrestris is a herbaceous plant with opposite, simple leaves, and erect stems. The flowers are yellow, borne in mid-summer.The flowers are star-shaped with five yellow petals...
(L.) BrittonNathaniel Lord BrittonNathaniel Lord Britton was an American botanist and taxonomist who founded the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York. Britton was born in New Dorp in Staten Island, New York...
, Sterns & Poggenb.Justus Ferdinand Poggenburg*Justus Ferdinand Poggenburg I , American botanist*Justus Ferdinand Poggenburg II , American billiards champion known as the "father of amateur billiards"*Justus Ferdinand Poggenburg III , American billiards champion...
- Swamp candles (North America) - Lysimachia thyrsifloraLysimachia thyrsifloraLysimachia thyrsiflora, commonly known as Tufted Loosestrife, is a plant in the genus Lysimachia. It is native to large sections of the northern Northern Hemisphere, including Eurasia and North America. It often grows in marshes, shorelines of lakes and ponds and occasionally along streams...
- tufted loosestrife - Lysimachia venosaLysimachia venosaLysimachia venosa is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Myrsinaceae known by the common name veined yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauai. The plant was only collected twice, last in 1911, but in 1991 a branch was discovered that...
- Lysimachia verticillaris
- Lysimachia vulgarisLysimachia vulgarisLysimachia vulgaris is a species of herbaceous perennial plants in the genus Lysimachia native to wetlands, damp meadows and forests of Eurasia. It is a 50-150 cm tall plant with an upright habit, blooming from June through August with erect panicles of conspicuous yellow flowers. L...
L. - Garden loosestrife, Yellow loosestrife (Eurasia)
External links
- Lysimachus' Dog & Nisaean Horses - Informative but non-scholarly essay on Lysimachia & Lysimachus (Annotated with Sources).
- Pictures of Lysimachia sertulata.
- PAF - Lysimachia clethroides - Duby.