Lythrum 'Morden Pink'

Does anyone grow any of the Lythrum varieties? I know it is a very damaging weed. Any thoughts?

I have it growing here! I think its pretty and mine seems to be under control-Is it the same as the purple kind?

let it bloom,cut it down before it forms seed...and burn it..very pretty though

I grow that one too. I have been told it is a sterile variety I think. At any rate, mine has been in the same spot for three or more years and has never gone anywhere else. I love it, the hummers love it and so do the butterflies!

They've imported some kinda beetles here to control loosestrife. It's taken over a lot of areas aound Maine and pushes out the native grasses and cattails. It produces billions of seeds. I've read a lot of negative info on the "sterile" varieties as well. They may not produce seeds but the pollen is fertile. I grew it for a while but got rid of it long ago. And yup - now I have a few patches of it popping up in the ditch around my house. I'm sure it was from the plant I had.

poppysue, this is very interesting info about the Lythrum popping up in the ditch. I always wondered about bees taking the polen back to their hives.

I should have mentioned the one I had wasn't a sterile variety. I assume the seed was just carried in the wind or from the stalks I threw on the compost pile. Every year I say I'm gonna dig it out of the ditch but I can't bring myself to tromp into all the pucka bushes and do it. This year we've had a lot of ticks around so I KNOW won't want to do it!

I'm guilty of having 'Morden's Pink' (one of the so-called sterile varieties.) I got it before I knew what an environmental threat the Lythrums posed; since then I've been careful with it, but my conscience is about to get the better of me, and I'm thinking it'll probably come out this summer. It IS very pretty, but there are a lot of pretty plants I could put in the same spot.

go_vols, I understand what you are saying. I am in town and think no problem can occur, but what if?

If you decide to take it out, you may find that it has MAJOR woody roots. My friend was ordered to remove hers and as she could not do it, I got my axe (this was years ago) I kept the root because it was interesting looking, all knotted up and just put it on the pile with the firewood- checked later and found that because it had gotten some moisture-it started to grow again--had been out of ground for months. This is one sturdy plant that you might not want on your compost pile.

Kinda like Kudzu Vine, huh????

"eyes"

I have had the sterile variety for many years and have never seen it show up anywhere else. We are not near any waterways that it could affect so I am not concerned. Mine stay small and never have gotten large roots or bases. Terry, you probably got yours from me and I can almost assure you that it won't spread. The butterflies and humming birds love mine.

Hey Elena - Happy Birthday!!

Hi, Elena - yes, I did get it from you. But we're less than 500 feet from a good-size creek (closer than that as the crow flies), and I am a little concerned, especially when I started discovering how damaging Lythrum can be, coupled with the fact it appears to be able to cross with the sterile varieties. I do hate to destroy such a pretty plant, but (given Marcia's assessment of the roots), maybe it's better to do it before it gets too settled in its present home :)

I have the Morden Pink too. It is a sterile variety. Have had it planted in the same spot for over 10 years and no problems.

Here's an excerpt that explains the problem fairly succinctly:

"...Until recently, the various ornamental purple loosestrife cultivars were thought to be sterile. As such, there would be no danger these plants could naturally cross breed with Lythrum salicaria and pass along genetic traits which might make purple loosestrife an even greater ecological threat than it is already. Recent research, though, has shown that no purple loosestrife cultivar is sterile.

Although most cultivars are self-sterile (that is, incapable of reproducing alone), they produce large quantities of viable seed when functioning as either male or female parents in cross breeding with other cultivars and species of loosestrife. Bees and wasps are effective pollinators of loosestrife, and provide the means for cross pollination, even between plants that are a considerable distance from each other.

It is possible a relatively benign ornamental cultivar of indigenous purple loosestrife could cross breed with Lythrum salicaria and produce a new cultivar of purple loosestrife that combines the native species' tolerance of this Commonwealth's temperature extremes or its ability to thrive in areas other than wetlands with the aggressive growth characteristics and the disease resistant characteristics, or both, of Lythrum salicaria. This is not abstract speculation. Some genetic traits of Lythrum salicaria have already been found in cultivars of purple loosestrife..."

I got this from The Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture Rules and Regs - Noxious WEeds, Nov. 17, 2000 - here's the website if you want to see the full text: http://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol30/30-47/1973.html

Based on this type of information, I'm afraid that even if we don't SEE any problems with our cultivated varieties, they could be creating problems when the pollen is carried by bees, wind or other pollen carriers.

Thanks, go-vols, good information!

Thanks Terry, Now lets just hope that nothing like that happens to all the brugs so many folks at Dave's are addicted to. I think that addiction in itself is a possible threat. LOL!

Speaking of addictions, could the fact that we have all gotten so we can't live without our daily DG fix, could that be considered harmful in some way? (You don't have to answer that!!!!)

This message was edited Monday, Jul 15th 11:04 AM

I have this variety, and it must be sterile..It's been in the same spot for 4 years and is a very nicely contained plant, no spreading or re-seeding in four years..And everything spreads and re-seeds in southwest GA, LOL..Very pretty.. I have it in the ground in the shallow water of a natural pond..
Larkie