Herbs annual or short-lived perennial, slender 2–7 dm, green, glabrous. Stems sprawling or ascending, often branched from base, lax. Leaves mostly alternate, overlapping and smaller distally, subsessile; blade oblong at midstem to narrowly linear distally 8–38 × 1–11 mm, base obtuse to truncate. Inflorescences racemes. Flowers opposite to alternate, solitary in leaf axils, subsessile, tristylous; floral tube red-dotted on proximal half, narrowly obconic, 5–7 mm; epicalyx segments about equal to and more prominent than sepals; petals purple to rose, often with wihte base, obovate to oblong, 5–8 × 4–6 mm, stamens 12. Capsules septicidal or septifragal. Seeds many, oblong, 2 × 1 mm. 2n = 10.
Phenology: Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat: Moist or wet places, seasonal pools, lake margins, springs.
Elevation: 0–500 m.
Distribution
Introduced; Calif., s Europe, sw Asia, n Africa, Atlantic Islands (Macaronesia), introduced also in South America (Brazil), c Europe, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia.
Discussion
Lythrum junceum was present in Alameda County in 1905. It is now locally abundant there and also established in Santa Clara County (B. Ertter & D. Gowen 2019). It was also collected in Massachusetts in 1883, but did not persist there.
Selected References
None.