Wild Flowers of Leazes Park

Lythrum salicaria "  I am stark staring mad over Lythrum. For the love of Heaven have look at some of your species and if you can get me some seed, do!" Charles Darwin. Letter to Asa Gray The reason for Charles Darwin's puzzlement will become apparent later but bear in mind that when he wrote this in a letter to the American botanist Asa Gray, he had just finished his book on Orchids so we can be sure he was looking at a deeply mysterious arrangement of flower parts. Taxonomy Purple loosestrife belongs to the Lythraceae family which contains 32 genera and 620 species. The type genus is Lythrum or the loosestrifes. The leaves are typically opposite, simple and with pinnate veins . The flowers are radially symmetric and there are usually six petals which often have a rumpled appearance. The family is also remarkable for heterostyly which will be discussed below. Habit Purple Loosestrife or  Lythrum salicaria  forms tall spires of purple flowers that are u...