Lanceleaf Loosestrife: A Little Known Native Wildflower that Needs to Be Discovered

We are prone to repeat the old adage that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In this case, the opposite is true. This Lysimachia is not a thug nor on any invasive list. It is known as Lysimachia lanceolata var.purpurea or L. lanceolata var. angustifolia. It has lovely nodding flowers, and bees love to pollinate from these flowers, while feeding hanging upside down. Short-tongued bees especially use the pollen to feed their larvae.

This native plant grows in partial to full sun. It is only 1 to 2 feet high and the spread is about the same. This slender, upright perennial with its lovely, nodding blossoms tends to form small colonies in meadows or moist woods.

It has attractive lance-shaped leaves. The yellow flowers have a star-like shape and an orange throat. It flowers for a month, but has reblooming capacities and when it finishes, it forms sphere-shaped seed capsules.

It is hardy in zones 4 to 8 and it occurs naturally from Canada to Florida and from Wisconsin to Texas. It tolerates sandy, rocky, clay, loam, and compacted soils.

Here’s a very important point: Deer don’t eat it! Since it is summer-flowering, it can combine nicely in a bed with Carex crinata, Rudbeckia hirta, and Chelone glabra.

It looks great in wildflower gardens, cottage gardens, and perennial borders. However, because it thrives in mesic loam, it can also survive in moist meadows and the margins of water gardens. By fall, the foliage can turn a nice burgundy color.

It is not widely available commercially yet, but some nurseries that specialize in native plants carry it. (See list at right). I’m hoping that the more we gardeners ask for it, the more it will be grown and sold. New Moon Wholesale Nursery in Woodstown, NJ, first brought it to market from a plant that was a selection from Grow Wild Nursery.

On a related note, I’d like to recommend that those interested in native plants attend the Native Plants in the Landscape Conference in Millersville, PA, this June 5-8. I hope to see you there!

Stephanie Cohen, “The Perennial Diva,” has received awards from the Philadelphia Horticulture Society, was elected a fellow of the Garden Writer’s of America, and was named a Garden Communicator of the Year by American Nursery and Landscape Association. Cohen founded the aboredum at Temple University and served as the director for five years. She is the author of The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer and many other well-reviewed garden books.

• Catskill Native Plant Nursery 607 Samsonville Road Kerhonkson, NY 12446 (Not online.)

• Harvey’s Gardens 38 New Bridgeville Road Wrightsville, PA 17368 (Not online.)

• Hill House Farm & Nursery 631 Scrabble Road Castleton, VA 22716 (Not online.)

• IzelPlants.com 410-989-3721 www.izelplants.com (Online only.)

• New Moon Nursery 910 Kings Highway Woodstown, NJ 08098 856-823-5069 www.NewMoonNursery.com (Wholesale.)

• The Pollen Nation 342 Marlboro Rd Bridgeton NJ 08302 www.thepollennation.com (Online only.)

• Sunshine Farm and Gardens 696 Glicks Road Renick, WV 24966 barry@sunfarm.com 304-497-2208 www.sunfarm.com