About the plant itself

Purple loosestrife is an attractive perennial belonging to the Saxifragaceae family. Remarkable, it forms a superb clump with thick, upright, branched stems. Depending on the variety, loosestrife can grow up to 1.50 m tall. Attached directly to the stems, the plant’s leaves are opposite and lanceolate. They are deep green on the upper surface, paler on the underside. Purple loosestrife blooms beautifully in summer, between June and October. The plant produces long, magenta-pink spikes 25 to 30 cm long. Grouped in whorls, these flowers are nectar-bearing and melliferous. They are very popular with butterflies and bees alike. Loosestrife leaves are quite similar to those of willows. They are lanceolate, downy and around 5 to 10 cm long. The fruits of this plant take the form of ovoid capsules. They contain a large number of seeds, usually dispersed by water or birds.

Learn more about loosestrife habitat and cultivation

Purple loosestrife is a plant native to Asia and Europe that is particularly fond of moisture. It grows spontaneously on the banks of watercourses, in ditches and marshy areas. In the garden, loosestrife is at home beside a pond or stream. It can also grow along a watering canal or in other damp or flood-prone locations. For dense clumps, it’s best to grow loosestrife in a sunny, or at least slightly shady, spot. Moreover, loosestrife is an undemanding plant. In fact, it adapts to all types of soil, with the exception of those that are too acidic. Robust and hardy, the plant has the advantage of withstanding sub-zero temperatures down to -15°C. It can easily withstand the harshest winters. Purple loosestrife also has the advantage of being easy to grow. Seedlings can be sown as early as April at temperatures between 15 and 18°C. However, it is possible to divide clumps in May or take basal cuttings in spring. Planting is generally done in spring or autumn. For an attractive garden, we strongly recommend spacing each plant about 50 cm apart. Purple loosestrife also requires little maintenance. In fact, the only maintenance required is pruning off spent flowers. This stimulates new flowering. In winter, it is also advisable to clean the plant by simply removing the dry aerial parts.

To use loosestrife properly and make the most of its benefits

Herbal medicine uses the aerial parts, flowering tops and fresh juice of purple loosestrife. These plant components are packed with active ingredients, including tannins, mucilage and resin. They also contain triptenes, including oleanolic and ursolic acids, anthocyanosides, glucosides and flavones. These varied active compounds act synergistically to promote your daily well-being. Purple loosestrife is also an edible plant. You can eat the young leaves, whose fruity, slightly sweet flavor is reminiscent of dried fruit. Loosestrife flowers are also widely used as coloring agents. In the past, confectioners used the coloring power of these flowers to give sweets a pretty red color. To bring out the color, simply boil the flower spikes in a little water.