VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Lythrum salicaria | Purple Loosestrife 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Purple loosestrife-dominated wetlands are generally considered poor
wildlife habitat.  Muskrats seldom feed on purple loosestrife or build
houses with its stems [14].  It provides poor waterfowl nesting habitat
and is a seldom used by waterfowl for food [18].

White-tailed deer and livestock readily browse young, succulent stems,
but palatability decreases by early summer.  The plant is much less
palatable to livestock than are the grasses and sedges (Carex spp.) it
displaces, and wetland pastures and wild hay meadows are seriously
degraded by its presence [8].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
Purple loosestrife drastically alters the character of wetlands by
totally replacing native communities.  It generally destroys the
preferred nesting habitat of many waterfowl and other marsh-dwelling
birds.  Long-billed marsh wrens will not nest in purple loosestrife and
may disappear from marshes in which it has replaced cattails (Typha
spp.)  [14].  Platform-nesting waterfowl cannot use purple loosestrife's
stiff stems for nest construction [18].  Additionally, the closely
spaced clumps do not provide brood cover.

A few bird species, however, such as black-crowned night herons and
piedbilled grebes, occasionally nest in purple loosestrife.  The
red-winged blackbird will probably benefit from an increase in purple
loosestrife.  On the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in New York,
red-winged blackbird nests are more common in purple loosestrife than in
cattail [14].  These birds construct their nests in the dead stems of
the previous season.

Dense purple loosestrife stands may serve as escape cover and shelter
for pheasants and rabbits [17].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Purple loosestrife flowers are attractive to honey bees and are a good
source of pollen for honey production [19].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Status:  Purple loosestrife is a highly competitive weed that replaces
native wetland communities.  It is classified as a noxious weed in many
states.  Its spread has been hastened because nurseries have sold purple
loosestrife as landscaping plants and because its seeds occur in some
"wildflower" seed mixes.  Idaho, Montana, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, and
Wisconsin have enacted legislation prohibiting the sale of purple
loosestrife and purple loosestrife hybrids [18,24].

Habitat vulnerability:  The continuity and configuration of wetlands
strongly influence the expansion of local infestations because purple
loosestrife is primarily spread by floating seeds or propagules.
Isolated wetland basins are relatively safe from purple loosestrife
spread, whereas wetland complexes connected by a common waterway are
highly susceptible.  Streams with steep gradients are less susceptible
than streams with low gradients because they have few backwater areas
for aquatic emergents to take hold.  In general, the presence of
cattails, grasses, sedges, or rushes (Juncus spp.) identifies sites that
are most susceptible to invasion [18,19].

Control:  Biological control programs are currently under study, but it
will probably be many years before they can be used successfully in the
field.  Until then, mechanical and chemical control measures should be
used on a site specific basis.  Where the number of plants is small,
they can be pulled.  Plants should be pulled before flowering to prevent
scattering seed, and be removed from the site in bags because plant
fragments can take root and form new plants.  Hand pulling is
ineffective on plants more than a few years old because the rootstock is
too large to be removed.  Glyphosate can be sprayed on old plants or in
areas where hand pulling is impractical.  Glyphosate treatments
generally result in greater than 90 percent kill and require follow-up
treatments for at least 3 years.  Proper use of glyphosate for purple
loosestrife control has been outlined [11,18,23].

Related categories for Species: Lythrum salicaria | Purple Loosestrife