Purple Loosestrife

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria) is an invasive wetland plant that is beautiful, but dangerous. Imported in the 1800s for ornamental and medicinal uses, purple loosestrife poses a serious threat to wetlands because of its prolific reproduction. The plant has been reported in every state except for Florida. Unfortunately, it is still sold as an ornamental plant in many states. Purple loosestrife has gained a strong foothold in many North American wetlands, rivers and lakes, including many in Northern Michigan.

Native to Europe and Asia, purple loosestrife can be identified by its purple flowers which bloom from June to September. Purple loosestrife produces square woody stalks 4 to 7 feet high. Leaves are heart or lance shaped and flowers have 5 to 7 petals.

Due to the long flowering season, purple loosestrife plants have the ability to produce millions of seeds each year. In addition to seeds, purple loosestrife can also produce vegetatively by sending up shoots from the root systems. The underground stems can grow up to a foot each growing season.

Purple loosestrife threatens native species by crowding them out and competing for water and sunlight. When loosestrife replaces native plants, it destroys the habitats of animals and insects that depend on native species for food and shelter. Duck, geese and muskrat populations have all seen declines since purple loosestrife was imported. Dense stands of loosestrife impede water flow and impair the use of wetland recreation areas, in turn requiring costly management efforts. For years, conventional ways of dealing with the purple loosestrife problem were tested. For small stands of loosestrife, burning, spraying, and pulling are still the best ways to rid an area of the plants. However, for large stands, such methods are impractical and costly.

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council's
Volunteer Purple Corp

The Volunteer Purple Corps project was initiated summer of 2006 to build upon the work of the Michigan State University Purple Loosestrife Project. For this pilot project, volunteers from Pickerel-Crooked Lakes Association and Burt Lake Preservation Association worked through the summer to perform a detailed inventory of purple loosestrife in their watersheds. This data will be utilized in the Aquatic Invasive Species Patrol database, and will aid the Watershed Council in prioritizing locations for management and developing a purple loosestrife management plan. This project serves as a pilot for the development and implementation of additional purple loosestrife management plans for the rest of our service area. This project was funded through a grant from the Michigan Nongame Wildlife Fund and citizen contributions to the fund.

Contact Us if you would like to join our Volunteer Purple Corp.