About Lythrum hyssopifolia L.
Lythrum hyssopifolia L. (orthographic variant L. hyssopifolium) is a species of flowering plant in the loosestrife family, commonly known by the common names hyssop loosestrife and grass-poly. This plant is native to Europe. It is also found as an introduced species outside its native range across many other regions, including parts of Australia and both eastern and western North America, where it sometimes grows as a weed. It is considered rare in the United Kingdom, where only occasional isolated populations occur. It most often grows in moist habitats, with examples including marshes, wet agricultural fields, and rice paddies. It is a mostly upright, branching herb that can be an annual or biennial, and reaches 10 to 60 centimeters (3.9 to 23.6 inches) tall. On the plant, oval leaves are arranged oppositely on lower sections, and typically arranged alternately toward the top of the stem. These leaves grow up to 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) in length. Its inflorescence is a terminal spike of flowers that have pinkish petals up to half a centimeter (¼ inch) long. The fruit it produces is an oval capsule that holds many minute seeds. The specific epithet hyssopifolia, a term that appears in many other plant scientific names, translates to "hyssop-leafed".
