Lythrum hyssopifolia
Encyclopedia
Lythrum hyssopifolia is a species of flowering plant in the loosestrife family
known by the common names hyssop loosestrife and grass-poly. It is native to Europe but it is known elsewhere, including parts of Australia and eastern and western North America, as an introduced species
and sometimes a weed. It often grows in moist habitat, such as marsh
es and wet agricultural fields, rice paddies
, for example. This is a mostly upright, branching annual or biennial herb growing 10 to 60 centimeters tall. The oval leaves are arranged oppositely lower on the plant, and often alternately toward the top. They are up to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence
is a terminal spike of flowers with pinkish petals up to half a centimeter long. The fruit is an oval capsule containing many minute seeds.
Lythraceae
Lythraceae are a family of flowering plants. It includes about 620 species of mostly herbs, with some shrubs and trees, in 31 genera. Major genera include Cuphea , Lagerstroemia , Nesaea , Rotala , and Lythrum...
known by the common names hyssop loosestrife and grass-poly. It is native to Europe but it is known elsewhere, including parts of Australia and eastern and western North America, as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
and sometimes a weed. It often grows in moist habitat, such as marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es and wet agricultural fields, rice paddies
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
, for example. This is a mostly upright, branching annual or biennial herb growing 10 to 60 centimeters tall. The oval leaves are arranged oppositely lower on the plant, and often alternately toward the top. They are up to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a terminal spike of flowers with pinkish petals up to half a centimeter long. The fruit is an oval capsule containing many minute seeds.