''Lysimachia'' () is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though som ...

. Based on a molecular phylogenetic 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. ...

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 stigma ...

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 ...

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 head ...

'' 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 strata 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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. †''Lysimachia nikitinii'' seed fossils 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 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 ...

. The fossils are most similar to seeds of the East Asian '' Lysimachia davurica''.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 ...

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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

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'', orth. var. ''L. asperulaefolia'' - roughleaf yellow loosestrife (endemic to Atlantic coastal plain in North and South Carolina) *'' Lysimachia atropurpurea'' - purple gooseneck loosestrife *'' Lysimachia azorica'' Hornem. ex Hook. - (endemic to the Azores) *'' Lysimachia barystachys'' 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'' - gooseneck loosestrife * ''Lysimachia'' × ''commixta'' , a hybrid of ''L. terrestris'' and ''L. thyrsiflora'' * '' Lysimachia congestiflora'' *'' Lysimachia daphnoides'' (A. Gray) Hillebr. ''Lehua makanoe'' (Island of Kauai in

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 state ...

) *''

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: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

and Kauai in Hawaii) *'' Lysimachia foenum-graecum'' Hance *'' Lysimachia fraseri'' 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 latifolia'' - Pacific starflower *'' Lysimachia lichiangensis'' 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 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 in Hawaii) *'' Lysimachia minoricensis'' 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'' - 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 & 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 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