Anticipating a Springtime Friend: Identifying Whorled Loosestrife
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Like so many of you, this time of year puts a little extra pep in our step, giving us a renewed sense of optimism. Each morning brings the songs of birds either returning to Harmony Hill for the spring and summer or passing through on the way to their breeding grounds north of here. The sun comes up a little earlier each morning and sets just a little later each evening, giving us two or three additional minutes of light each day. From the shortest days of winter, which are slightly under ten hours of sunlight, we reach our maximum of a smidge over 14 ½ hours of sunlight on the summer solstice. These April days between the two extremes lift us and have us looking forward.
Just as we miss family and friends after long absences, getting excited when we know a visit with loved ones draws near, our hearts also flutter knowing we will get to see our friends in Mother Nature who have been gone for many months. As we walk along the edge of the creek and look out at portions of the forest that are more open, we become giddy knowing there are wildflowers returning to fill those spaces very soon. Let’s talk about one of our old wildflower friends who we look forward to returning in the weeks to come.
During these talks, we cover a lot of material. We love to give the meanings of scientific names, the backstory on where some common names originate, as well as the when and where to look for plants and animals. Just as often, we love to give you identification tips and equip you with the knowledge to head outside, search, and discover the flora and fauna around you. Today, we would love to introduce you to a wildflower friend that you will be able to spot even in a crowd!
You know those people in your life that you can tell from a distance, even if they change their hairstyle, the way they dress, or even if they wear a hat and shades? Though there may be something different about their appearance, their posture and their overall being is unmistakable. Our friend, Whorled Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia), is exactly that to us.
As the common name “whorled” and the species name of “quadrifolia” imply, this plant *usually* exhibits four leaves surrounding the stem of the plant. But that is not always the case. It is pretty common for these whorls of leaves to number anywhere from 3-7. Like your friend who got a new haircut or wardrobe, this might change Whorled Loosestrife’s look; but, it doesn’t change the essence of the plant.
There are also usually four individual flowers held delicately out from the leaves and stem. The first clue we want you to key in on is with these beautiful yellow star-like flowers. They will be yellow, have red streaking or spots on the interior of the petals, and those five petals will be arranged in a star pattern.
Another identification tip we would like for you to focus on are the fine hairs on the leaves, flower axils, and stem of the plant. Seeing that pubescence over nearly the entirety of the plant, with a whorl of leaves usually numbering four, and fragile-looking five-petaled yellow star flowers, means our friend the Whorled Loosestrife is now your friend! It is easy to identify, though it may try to throw you a curveball by having a slightly different look than the name, quadrifolia, would make you think.
Found from Maine to Alabama and northward to the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, Whorled Loosestrife prefers moist soils with partial sunlight. As a matter of fact, we look for it in wetter areas that occasionally see flooding or the boundaries of wooded areas that can hold water at various times of the year. However, in keeping with its penchant to do things a touch differently, you can sometimes find it growing in drier, sandy soils with several hours of direct sunlight. We’ve found this wonderfully eclectic friend growing in nearly full sun in a pine stand with mostly sandy soil, just to remind you it might be hanging out in a crowd you wouldn’t expect!
Even where it is found in our region can be variable. You are far more likely to find it growing in the piedmont and mountain areas of the state. But be on the lookout as you venture into the upper sandhills and coastal plain! There are disjunct populations of this wildflower found well away from the majority of the range, skipping entire counties and sections of states to be found near the coast.
The very flowers that we told you are definitive ways to identify Whorled Loosestrife begin opening in very early June and continue through late August. To keep you on your toes, Lysimachia quadrifolia is perfectly capable of blooming from late May all the way into mid-September!
Whorled Loosestrife can reproduce by underground rhizomes or by seed. In an interesting twist on cloning by rhizome, the root system between a parent plant and its offspring usually breaks down and the two plants lose their connection not long after the clone sprouts. This loss of direct connection prevents Lysimachia quadrifolia from becoming too dominant on a landscape, as can be the case with some plants that use underground rhizomes to reproduce.
Seeds develop from pollinated flowers and fall directly to the ground. With no dispersal of seeds by birds, mammals, or insects; and with rhizomes being the other means of reproduction, populations of Whorled Loosestrife tend to be found locally and in pockets.
With its wide-open flowers, this wildflower attracts an equally wide variety of insect pollinators. Numerous species of bees and butterflies visit the flowers for pollen and a small taste of nectar.
Prehistorically and historically, there are tales of Native American tribes who utilized the landscapes of Harmony Hill long before we arrived using Whorled Loosestrife to treat kidney diseases. And farmers in Europe, as well as early settlers to the thirteen colonies, would feed members of the Lysimachia genus to cows, oxen, and other beasts of burden to calm them and make them work as one. That leads us to the genus name our wildflower friend.
Legend has it that Lysimachus, a military leader who worked under Alexander the Great and who would later become King of Thrace, used a plant related to Lysimachia quadrifolia to soothe a temperamental ox. Lysimachus had a reputation for handling ancient beasts, even defeating a lion with his bare hands. Even with the tales of Lysimachus, there is, however, very little scientific data to back up the claim that Lysimachia quadrifolia can calm cows and cause them to work well as a team.
Myths and legends are one thing. But the beauty of Whorled Loosestrife is no myth. And the ability to identify it on the landscape can make you a legendary naturalist, particularly with its penchant to give you different looks. Just remember to look for the whorl of leaves, the yellow flowers with five petals, and the pubescence over the majority of the plant! No matter if you find it in an open moist forest in the piedmont, where you would absolutely expect it, or in a sandy pine forest in the coastal plain, you know what to look for. Think of Whorled Loosestrife as we do, a lovely and dear friend who might just change up their look and who might also visit you when you don’t necessarily expect them. But a friend who is easy to spot, no matter the time and place… And a friend we cannot wait to see again this spring and summer!