General:
Annual herb from a fibrous root, often rooting at the nodes; stems prostrate to decumbent, branching at the base, 4-angled, reddish, glabrous, 5-25 cm long.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves opposite, fleshy, oblong to more or less egg-shaped, widest towards the tip, abruptly narrowing to the stalk, 5-10 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of single, broadly bell-shaped, unstalked, axillary flowers; hypanthium broadly bell-shaped, 1-2 mm tall; petals usually 4 or lacking, white to rose, not showy, about 1 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules, spherical; seeds round.
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Peplis portula L.
KEY TO LYTHRUM
1. Hypanthium bell-shaped to hemispheric, petals usually 4, not showy.................Lythrum portula
2. Plants annual, 10-40 cm tall; lower leaves usually alternate; petals 2-3.5 mm long, white to rose...........................Lythrum hyssopifolia Source: Illustrated Flora of British Columbia A fourth species of Lythrum is now recognized in BC: Lythrum alatum (winged loosestrife). This species is not included in the IFBC key, but is described by Hitchcock and Cronquist (1973) as: Main leaves 3-10 cm, not cordate; petals purple, ca 5 mm; plants 4-10 dm. View a photo. |