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Decodon verticillatus |
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Common name |
water willow; swamp loosestrife |
Family |
lythraceae |
Life cycle |
perennial |
Flowers |
pink (August) |
Size |
2-8' |
Cultural notes |
marginal aquatic |
A relative of purple loosestrife, which appears on just about all invasive lists in the US, but this is a native wildflower that does not appear to be an ecological problem. It's planted in the bog filtration area of our large pond, where its lax habit causes it to weave through the more upright plants there. It spreads by rooting where a trailing stem touches the water.
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As the season progresses, its leaves change color from the early season's bright green. By late August (above), the green alternates with burgundy; by early October (below) the transformation is complete, and the plant is evenly colored in a wine coat.
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| After several years of just holding its own in the tangled bog zone, it started emerging as one of the dominant plants. The abundant regrowth in this mid-May picture shows that it will once again be a prominent player this year. |
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| Late May brings lush foliage |
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We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston. One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Decodon verticillatus
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common mis-spellings: verticillata
Last modified:
May 28, 2015
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