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Yellow loosestrife

 

 

Many have noticed the honey-scented and beautiful flowerer that one can see in almost all of Estonia. But despite this the yellow loosestrife is not very well known.

 

Habitats are wet meadows, marshy forests and forest verges, field or road verges. On coastal pastures its habitats remain closer to the forest which generally has a zone of higher grass and shrubs. The tall plant stands out in any case since it grows in clusters. In darker forests it vegetates but does not flower.

 

The leaves are arranged oppositely in pairs on the strong, upright stem, or in three-leaf whorls. The golden yellow flowers are bisexual, and do not produce nectar. Flying insects thus only get pollen from the plant - and the ”pollination pleasure”.

 

The loosestrife is noticeable in winter too when the stiff stem sticks out of the snow, with round seed capsules on the branching stems.

 

Yellow loosestrife

 

Strange that gardeners have not developed a garden variety of such a splendid plant?