Yellow Loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris), also known as Garden Loosestrife or Yellow Garden Loosestrife is a memeber of the Primrose Family.
This plant can reach up to 160cm, the stem is unbranched and a lime green / reddish brown colour and sometimes spotted. The Flower is wheel shaped and yellow in colour with petals ranging from 8 – 16mm wide.
The stem of this plant is almost stalkless, with leaves being sharp tipped and the sark spotted edges and fine hair beneath.
At the beginning of the growing stage , the plant shoot only grows as big as a hand span. Once it is in full flower, it is usually the end of the summer, although it has no nectar it makes up for it with large amounts of pollen to help attract insects.
Yellow loosestrife is a very versatile and useful plant, traditionally it has been used to treat bleeding and wounds. It has also been put to other uses too as its roots produce a brown dye and its leaves can produce yellow one, therefore it can be used to lighten hair.
Height: Up to 150cm
Flowering Time: July to August
Preferred Conditions: This plant prefers very wet ground and rich soils and is often found on the edges of streams and rivers and in marshes and fens. It can also be found on shores, damp meadows, ditches and sometimes roadside embankments.
It has also become a popular ornamental plant.
