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Purple Loosestrife
Lythrum anceps
ミソハギ
A perennial herb growing in wetlands and rice paddy levees throughout Japan. It produces reddish-purple small flowers in spikes during summer. Traditionally offered as a Buddhist flower during the Obon festival, it is also called 'Bon-bana' (Obon flower) or 'Shoryo-bana' (spirit flower).
Identification Points
- ✓Stem square in cross-section
- ✓Reddish-purple 6-petaled flowers in spikes
- ✓Leaves opposite, partly clasping the stem
Habitat
Wetlands, rice paddy levees, and marshes
Season
July–September (flowers)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf shape
Ovate
Growth form
Herb
Petal count
4 petals
Petal fusion
Free
Flower color
Purple
Flowering season
Summer
Habitat
Wetland
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Positionミソハギ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Myrtales > Lythraceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (about 80–70 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Lythraceae is a diverse family including pomegranate and crape myrtle, with many species adapted to wetland environments. Under APG classification, Cuphea and other genera are also included.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification