''Lysimachia'' () is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

consisting of 193 accepted species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s traditionally classified in the family

Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the Onagraceae, evening primrose family), are a family (biology), family of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants ...

. Based on a

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study it was transferred to the family

Myrsinaceae Myrsinoideae is a subfamily of the family Primulaceae in the order Ericales. It was formerly recognized as the family Myrsinaceae, or the myrsine family, consisting of 35 genera and about 1000 species. It is widespread in temperate to tropical ...

, before this family was later merged into the Primulaceae.

Characteristics

''Lysimachia'' species often have yellow flowers, and grow vigorously. They tend to grow in damp conditions. Several species within ''Lysimachia'' are commonly called loosestrife, although this name is also used for plants within the genus ''

Lythrum ''Lythrum'' is a genus of 38 species of flowering plants native to the temperate world. Commonly known as loosestrife (a name they share with ''Lysimachia'', which are not closely related), they are among 32 genera of the family Lythraceae. Desc ...

''. The genus is named in honor of Lysimachus, a king of ancient Sicily, who is said to have calmed a mad ox by feeding it a member of the genus. ''Lysimachia'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some butterflies and moths, including the

dot moth The dot moth (''Melanchra persicariae'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It is a very distinctive species with very dark brown, almost black, forewings marked with a large white stigm ...

grey pug The grey pug (''Eupithecia subfuscata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region. It is also found in North America. Since it does not place any special demands on climatic conditions, special caterpilla ...

lime-speck pug The lime-speck pug (''Eupithecia centaureata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is a common species throughout the Palearctic region (where it is found in Europe, Central Asia, Mongolia, southern Siberia, eastern China (Guangdong) and Ta ...

small angle shades The small angle shades (''Euplexia lucipara'') is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout the Palearctic. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. As the common name ...

, and

v-pug The v-pug (''Chloroclystis v-ata'') is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region, the Near East and North Africa. It is well distributed in the British Isles except for the north of Scotland. The species was f ...

Specialized pollinators

Bees of the genus ''

Macropis ''Macropis'' is a genus of bees in the family Melittidae. Description ''Macropis'' species are of moderate size, not exceeding 15 mm. They have a livery predominantly black; males are characterized by conspicuous yellow markings on the hea ...

'' are specialized to pollinate oil-producing ''Lysimachia'' plants. These bees use exclusively ''Lysimachia'' floral oils for building their nests and provisioning cells. ''Lysimachia'' floral-specific chemicals are strong attractors for ''

Macropis nuda ''Macropis nuda'' is a ground nesting, univoltine bee native to northern parts of North America. Thus, this species cocoons as pupae and hibernates over the winter. The species is unusual as it is an oligolectic bee, foraging exclusively for flor ...

'' and ''

Macropis fulvipes ''Macropis'' is a genus of bees in the family Melittidae. Description ''Macropis'' species are of moderate size, not exceeding 15 mm. They have a livery predominantly black; males are characterized by conspicuous yellow markings on the hea ...

'' bees that are seldom found in other plant genera. Lysimachia punctata spotted loosestrife MN 2007

Fossil record

Several

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

seeds of ''Lysimachia '' sp. have been described from

middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million y ...

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...

of the Fasterholt area near

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. †''Lysimachia nikitinii'' seed

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

have been collected from

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...

of south eastern

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

. The fossils are most similar to seeds of the

East Asian East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea a ...

Lysimachia davurica ''Lysimachia'' () is a genus consisting of 193 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally Taxonomy (biology), classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a Molecular phylogeny, molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the f ...

''.The

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

and its correlation with other

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

by Felix Yu. VELICHKEVICH and Ewa ZASTAWNIAK - Acta Palaeobotanica 43(2): 137–259, 2003

Selected species

*''

Lysimachia arvensis ''Anagallis arvensis'' ( syn. ''Lysimachia arvensis''), commonly known as the scarlet pimpernel, red pimpernel, red chickweed, poor man's barometer, poor man's weather-glass, shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock, is a species of low-gr ...

'' L. - Scarlet pimpernel *''

Lysimachia asperulifolia ''Lysimachia asperulifolia'' ( orth. var. ''L. asperulaefolia'') is a rare species of flowering plant in the Primulaceae known by the common name rough-leaved loosestrife and roughleaf yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to the Atlantic coastal pla ...

'', orth. var. ''L. asperulaefolia'' - roughleaf yellow loosestrife (endemic to Atlantic coastal plain in North and South Carolina) *'' Lysimachia atropurpurea'' - purple gooseneck loosestrife *''

Lysimachia azorica ''Lysimachia azorica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It is endemic to the Azores, Portugal and is commonly found in woods, shrubland, forest plantations, embankments, roadsides and paths, in ''Sphagnum'' formations, a ...

'' Hornem. ex Hook. - (endemic to the Azores) *''

Lysimachia barystachys ''Lysimachia barystachys'', the Manchurian yellow loosestrife, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It is widely distributed in northern, eastern and central China, Far Eastern Russia, the Korean Peninsula and Japan, and has ...

'' Bunge - Manchurian yellow loosestrife *''

Lysimachia ciliata ''Lysimachia ciliata'', the fringed loosestrife, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It is an erect herbaceous perennial growing to tall and broad, with opposite, simple leaves, and smooth green stems. The star-shaped ye ...

'' L. - fringed loosestrife (North America) *''

Lysimachia clethroides ''Lysimachia clethroides'', the gooseneck loosestrife, is a species of flowering plant, traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. It was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae based on a molecular phylogenetic study, but this family w ...

'' - gooseneck loosestrife * ''Lysimachia'' × ''commixta'' , a hybrid of ''L. terrestris'' and ''L. thyrsiflora'' * ''

Lysimachia congestiflora ''Lysimachia congestiflora'', known as golden globes loosestrife or creeping Jenny, is a flowering plant species in the primrose family that native to southeast Asia. Description It is an aboveground perennial and a herbaceous, stolon-former pl ...

'' *''

Lysimachia daphnoides ''Lysimachia daphnoides'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the Primulaceae known by several common names, including Pacific loosestrife,Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

) *''

Lysimachia filifolia ''Lysimachia filifolia'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the Primulaceae known by the common name Wailua River yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are two populations on Oahu and one on Kauai. It is a federally liste ...

'' C.N.Forbes (Islands of

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

and Kauai in Hawaii) *''

Lysimachia foenum-graecum ''Lysimachia'' () is a genus consisting of 193 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae, before this family w ...

'' Hance *''

Lysimachia fraseri ''Lysimachia fraseri'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the Primulaceae, primrose family known by the common name Fraser's yellow loosestrife. It is native to the Southeastern United States, where it is listed as an endangered species in s ...

'' Duby - Fraser's yellow loosestrife (Southeastern United States) *''

Lysimachia glutinosa ''Lysimachia'' () is a genus consisting of 193 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally Taxonomy (biology), classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a Molecular phylogeny, molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the f ...

'' *''

Lysimachia hillebrandii ''Lysimachia'' () is a genus consisting of 193 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally Taxonomy (biology), classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a Molecular phylogeny, molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the f ...

'' Hook. f. ex A. Gray - ''kolokolo kuahiwi'' (Hawaii) *''

Lysimachia hybrida ''Lysimachia hybrida'', common name Mississippi loosestrife or lowland yellow loosestrife, is a plant species widespread in much of the United States and Canada, absent only from the deserts in the west and the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of th ...

'' Michx. *''

Lysimachia iniki ''Lysimachia iniki'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae known by the common names Wailua River yellow loosestrife and Wailua River island-loosestrife.Lysimachia japonica ''Lysimachia'' () is a genus consisting of 193 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae, before this family wa ...

'' *''

Lysimachia latifolia ''Lysimachia latifolia'', sometimes called ''Trientalis latifolia'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae.The Plant List http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/tro-26400203Howell, John Thomas. "Marin Flora: Manual of the F ...

'' - Pacific starflower *''

Lysimachia lichiangensis ''Lysimachia lichiangensis'' is a perennial herb, 35–75 cm in height, native to western Sichuan and north Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approx ...

'' Forrest *''

Lysimachia lydgatei ''Lysimachia lydgatei'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae known by the common name Maui yellow loosestrife. It is Endemism, endemic to Hawaii, where there are only four occurrences remaining on the island of Maui, the ...

'' - Maui yellow loosestrife (endemic to Maui, Hawaii) *''

Lysimachia maritima ''Lysimachia maritima'' is a plant species belonging to the family Primulaceae. It was previously called ''Glaux maritima'', the only species in the monotypic genus ''Glaux''. The species has a number of common names, including sea milkwort, sea ...

'' *'' Lysimachia mauritiana'' *''

Lysimachia maxima ''Lysimachia maxima'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae known by the common name Pelekunu Trail yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are only two small populations remaining on the island of Molok ...

'' (R.Knuth) H. St. John (Island of

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

in Hawaii) *''

Lysimachia minoricensis ''Lysimachia minoricensis'' is a species of plant in the family Primulaceae. It was endemic to the island of Menorca in Spain. Its natural habitat was Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. It became extinct within its natural range due to habita ...

'' J.J. Rodr. (

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) *''

Lysimachia nemorum ''Lysimachia nemorum'', the yellow pimpernel, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. Description ''Lysimachia nemorum'' is an evergreen creeping perennial herbaceous plant growing up to about 40 cm. The bright green leaves are ...

'' L. - yellow pimpernel *''

Lysimachia nummularia ''Lysimachia nummularia'' is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family (biology), family Primulaceae. Its common names include moneywort, creeping jenny, herb twopence and twopenny grass. Description It is a vigorous, prostrate, everg ...

'' L. - creeping jenny, moneywort (Europe, introduced in North America) *''

Lysimachia pendens ''Lysimachia pendens'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae known by the common name broad-leaf yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there is a single occurrence known on the island of Kauai.

'' * ''Lysimachia'' × ''producta'' , a hybrid of ''L. terrestris'' and ''L. quadrifolia'' *''

Lysimachia punctata ''Lysimachia punctata'', the dotted loosestrife, large yellow loosestrife, circle flower, or spotted loosestrife, is a flowering plant species in the family Primulaceae. Description ''Lysimachia punctata'' is a rhizome, rhizomatous perennial ...

'' - spotted loosestrife *'' Lysimachia quadriflora'' Sims - four-flower yellow loosestrife (Eastern North America) *''

Lysimachia quadrifolia ''Lysimachia quadrifolia'', the whorled loosestrife, whorled yellow loosestrife, or crosswort, is a species of herbaceous plant in the family Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening ...

'' L. - whorled loosestrife (Eastern North America) *''

Lysimachia scopulensis ''Lysimachia scopulensis'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae known by the common name shiny-leaf yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are two small populations on the island of Kauai.USFWSDetermin ...

'' *'' Lysimachia sertulata'' - Chilean melilukul *''

Lysimachia terrestris ''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 pr ...

'' (L.) Britton,

Sterns Sterns may refer to: *Sterns (surname) *Stern's, defunct U.S. department store chain *Sterns Nightclub, defunct nightclub in Worthing, West Sussex, England *Stern's Pickle Works, defunct pickle factory based in New York *The Sterns, American band S ...

& Poggenb. - swamp candles (North America) *'' Lysimachia thyrsiflora'' - tufted loosestrife *''

Lysimachia venosa ''Lysimachia venosa'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae known by the common name veined yellow loosestrife. It is Endemism, endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauai.USFWSDetermination of Enda ...

'' - veined yellow loosestrife (endemic to Kauai, Hawaii) *''

Lysimachia verticillaris ''Lysimachia'' () is a genus consisting of 193 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae, before this family wa ...

'' *''

Lysimachia vulgaris ''Lysimachia vulgaris'', the yellow loosestrife or garden loosestrife, is a species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. It was transferred to Myrsinoideae based on results of molecular phylogenetic research bef ...

'' L. - garden loosestrife, yellow loosestrife (Eurasia)

References

External links

Lysimachus' Dog & Nisaean Horses
- Informative but non-scholarly essay on Lysimachia & Lysimachus (Annotated with Sources). *Pictures o

PAF - Lysimachia clethroides - Duby.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157761 Primulaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus