Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Lythrum hyssopifolia

Flowering stems. Photographer Don Wood, Wonboyn Lake Resort south of Eden

Flowering stem. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Yass

Plants. Photographer Lyn Allison, Westgate Park, Melbourne, Vic

Common name

Hyssop loosestrife, Small loosestrife, Lesser loosestrife

Family

Lythraceae

Where found

Moist sites in dry forest, woodland, grassy areas, and disturbed places. Widespread.

Notes

Annual herb to 0.5 m tall, or sprawling. Stems hairless.  Leaves mostly alternating up the stems, some almost opposite each other, 0.5-2.5 cm long, 1.5-6 mm wide, hairless, tips pointed to blunt. Flowers pinky mauve, red, blue, or purple, with 4-6 spreading 'petals' each about 1-4 mm long. Hypanthium tubular, the tube about 1 mm in diameter at the throat. Flowers Spring to Summer.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Lythrum~hyssopifolia (accessed 24 January, 2021)