Worst invasives

Boyce Tankersley btankers@chicagobotanic.org
Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:48:03 PDT
Hi Neil:

With regards to Lythrum salicaria. Our problem invasive has been shown
to actually be a hybrid swarm between L. salicaria and our native
Lythrum - which perhaps explains why it has become such a problem.

Boyce Tankersley
Director of Living Plant Documentation
Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL 60022
tel: 847-835-6841
fax: 847-835-1635
email: btankers@chicagobotanic.org
-----Original Message-----
Boyce: Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is a fairly common plant
here, but well liked 
and not at all a nuissance. Even more ironic is Water chestnut (Trapa
natens) which is a nuissance
in the Hudson river, yet an almost mythical and sadly extinct plant
here. It is said to be the 
only plant made extinct by botanists, last one was seen here in 1913, it
is suspected that
the hobby of herbarium collections in the 18th century finshed them off!



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