Flora of North America species comparison

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Lythrum californicum

California loosestrife, common loosestrife
Habit Herbs perennial, slender, 5–10(–15) dm, whitish gray glaucous, glabrous.
Stems

erect, much-branched distally.
Leaves

mostly alternate, sometimes opposite proximally, branch leaves gradually smaller than those on main stem;

sessile;

blade oblong-lanceolate proximally, mostly linear or linear-oblong distally, 7–60 × 1–7 mm, base rounded.
Inflorescences

racemes.
Flowers

alternate, subsessile, pedicel stout, distylous;

floral tube cylindrical, 5–7 × 1–1.5 mm;

epicalyx segments equal or to 2 times length of sepals;

petals bright rose purple, obovate, 4–6 × 2–4.5 mm;

nectary encircling base of ovary;

stamens 6.
Capsules

septicidal or septifragal.
Seeds

ca. 50, obovoid to fusiform.
2n

= 20.

Lythrum californicum
Phenology Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Wet or moist soil, margins of ponds, streams, in ditches, on salt flats.
Elevation 100–2200 m. (300–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; KS; NM; NV; OK; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León)
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lythrum californicum sometimes is difficult to distinguish from L. alatum; it generally has a more open vegetative habit with narrowly linear leaves. Problematic intermediates between L. californicum and L. alatum var. alatum occur in Kansas and Oklahoma, and between L. alatum var. lanceolatum and L. californicum in Oklahoma and eastern Texas. Prior to the recent recognition of L. junceum in California, older collections were identified as L. californicum.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 10.
Parent taxa Lythraceae > Lythrum
Sibling taxa
L. alatum, L. curtissii, L. flagellare, L. hyssopifolia, L. junceum, L. lineare, L. ovalifolium, L. portula, L. salicaria, L. tribracteatum, L. virgatum
Synonyms L. alatum var. breviflorum, L. alatum var. linearifolium, L. breviflorum, L. linearifolium, L. parvulum, L. sanfordii
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 482. (1840)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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