Purple Loosestrife?

last year

It seems every plant that grows in the gardens of our new property is some sort of invasive species. This one keeps coming up as purple loosestrife in my google searches, I'm not sure. The leaves I'm seeing in online photos look different to me than the plants in my yard. They are broader and grow closer together while the plants I'm trying to ID have leaves that are narrower and spaced further apart. Some of my plants bloom a pale pink while others are a dark purple.

They grow to a height of 3 - 5 feet and the bees, butterflies and humming birds love them. I'd like to keep some of them in the garden for the pollinators, but if they are loosestrife, they will have to go.

Any help in confirming whether or not this is loosestrife is much appreciated.

This photo is out of focus, but shows the purple color.

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

last year

AKA purple toadflax. It's really just a weed. Can pop up anywhere and has appeared in my gardens numerous times, drifting in from some unknown source. Somewhat attractive but a bit of a bother as it never seems to pop up exactly where it is wanted or needed. I tend to rip it out more often than not.

Linaria vulgaris, common toadflax, and Linaria dalmatica, Dalmatian toadflax, are on both the CA and WA invasive species listings......but not Linaria purpurea

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Comments (7)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
last modified: last year
No, it’s Linaria purpurea. The pink version resembles the cultivar ’Canon Went’. It’s a self seeding alien but not invasive as far as I can ascertain, unless you live in Hawaii. Maybe someone else can say if it’s a problem in California.
DawnInCal thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
woodrose
last year
last modified: last year
I don't think it's Purple Loosestrife, I agree that the leaves are wrong. It's a very pretty plant and I hope someone can tell us what it is.

Edit: I see floral hit the "submit" button quicker than I did ...Lol !
DawnInCal thanked woodrose
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
last modified: last year
Ummmmm....
DawnInCal thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
DawnInCal
Original Author
last year
Well, for once, I have a plant that's not an invasive, noxious weed! That makes me happy as I really want to leave a few for the pollinators mentioned above.

Gardengal, I hear ya about them coming up in the wrong spots. Because of their height, I want them to grow along a fence line. The other day, I dug a few of the smaller plants up and moved them so that they are next to the fence. They drooped for a few days, but now they look just fine. I'm hoping they will establish themselves in that location and if they come up anywhere else, I'll pull them out.

Thank you everyone for your responses! :)
woodrose
last year
I still think it's a very pretty plant, and I wouldn't care where it came up !
DawnInCal thanked woodrose
DawnInCal
Original Author
last year
I like it too, woodrose. Better yet, I like seeing all the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds flocking around it. :)