Lythrum hyssopifolia L
Diagnostic description:
A hairless annual, with erect or decumbent stems branching from the base. Branches erect to spreading. Stems 10 to 60 cm long. Leaves alternate, elliptic-oblong to linear, up to 28 mm long, smooth or rough-margined; those of the central stem larger than the rest. Flowers pink, solitary, in most leaf axils; 5 to 10 mm across, with 5 to 6 petals. Stamens 4 – 6, included in the calyx tube. The fruit is a small cylindrical capsule.
Distribution:
Local: Rare in Gibraltar. Grows mainly as a weed in cultivated plots.
Global: Found throughout most of Europe and Africa and west and central Asia.
Ecology:
Flowers from April to August.
Habitat:
Grows on damp, slightly saline soil, and recently flooded ground.