Swamp candles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Swamp candles |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Lysimachia
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| Species: |
terrestris
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| Synonyms | |
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Lysimachia terrestris (swamp candles, lake loosestrife or earth loosestrife) is a plant in the family Primulaceae.
Description
Lysimachia terrestris is a herbaceous plant with opposite, simple leaves, and erect stems. The flowers are produced in a raceme, 10–30 cm (4–12 in) long, at the top of the plant. The flowers are star-shaped with five yellow petals, and appear in mid-summer. Each petal has two red dots at its base forming a circle of ten red dots in the center of the flower.
- Gallery
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Larvae of Monostegia abdominalis
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Leaves skeletonized by larv
Ecology and distribution
Lysimachia terrestris grows in swamps and at the edges of ponds and lakes in the Eastern United States and in Eastern Canada. It is also found in the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, and in British Columbia. It is listed as endangered in Tennessee and Kentucky.
A major pest is Monostegia abdominalis, a sawfly larva that can completely skeleonize the leaves.
Images for kids
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Example of red axillary bulblets, observed in late September
