Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in Ohio's Lake Erie Marshes

Abstract

Purple loosestrife {Lythrum salicaria) is an exotic plant from Eurasia that has displaced more than 50% of the plant biomass in some wetland communities in the U.S. Its dense stands provide poor waterfowl and muskrat {Ondatra zibethicus) habitat. True-color 35-mm photographs (slides) taken at 1,500 m were used to map the distribution of purple loosestrife in Erie, Lucas, Ottawa, and Sandusky Counties, where most of the purple loosestrife in Ohio occurs. We identified 213 stands (0.4-60.2 ha in size) that comprised 1,287 ha of purple loosestrife. Stands were associated with areas that have been inundated because of high Lake Erie water levels since 1975. Within the study area, only those marshes that undergo annual treatment of glyphosate or are cultivated contain no purple loosestrife.