The purple loosestrife is a beautiful plant you see growing in damp roadside ditches and along the banks of any body of water. It’s tall with gorgeous purple-pink stalks of flowers.
But don’t let its beauty fool you. This is a very bad plant that is crowding out many native plant species and taking over. It is one of the plants listed on the NJ Invasive Species website.
It is the MOST prevalent invasive species in our state – even worse than the horrific Japanese Knotweed. It crowds out EVERYTHING near it with its unbelievably rapid spread. It is so prolific that it can cause drainage problems. It can also displace wildlife that feed on the plants it overwhelms.
It spreads by both underground runners and by producing millions of seeds that are dispersed by water and wildlife.
If you can, please destroy any plants you see! Do NOT compost it as you will spread any seeds present and it could resprout. Bag it carefully and place in the trash.