FRINGED LOOSESTRIFE
Lysimachia ciliata
MYRSINE FAMILY (Myrsinaceae)
Identification
- Flowering time - June, July
- Rare on floodplain at FF
- Nodding 5 petaled flower with reddish-brown center
- Prominent white hairs on upper leaf stalks
- See comments for comparison with other Loosestrifes
This native perennial grows up to 3 feet tall, usually supported by grasses and other vegetation. The bright yellow nodding flowers have 5 oval petals, each with a bit of reddish-brown at the base and a sharp point at the tip. Flowers are up to 1 inch across. The opposite, oval to lance-shaped leaves have smooth margins and are up to 6 inches long. The upper leafstalks are fringed with white hairs (B), hence its common name.
Grows in wet floodplain ditches and stream banks flowering in June and July. It is rare on the Fontenelle Forest floodplain, where it was most recently seen in a ditch among the tall grass along Camp Gifford Road.
The fringed leaf stalks separate this species from all other Loosestrifes. Its nodding 5-petaled flowers with reddish-brown centers are very different from the dandelion-like flowers of the only other member of this family, Tufted Loosestrife (Lysimachia thyrsiflora), found in Fontenelle Forest. Neither species has yet been seen at Neale Woods.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Neal Ratzlaff.