''Lysimachia'' × ''commixta'' is a
hybrid of
flowering plants in the primrose family
Primulaceae. It is native to eastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, from eastern
Canada across the
Great Lakes region west to
Minnesota. The hybrid
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''commixta'' means "mixed together, mixed up", which presumably refers to the genetic mixing of two species. Indeed, the hybrid is sometimes referred to as the mixed loosestrife or the commingling loosestrife.
Description
The parents of ''Lysimachia'' × ''commixta'' are ''
L. terrestris'' and ''
L. thyrsiflora''. The hybrid has a terminal
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
subtended by similar lateral racemes. Vigorous individuals have additional
axillary racemes up to long. Although it shows a floral
morphology approaching ''L. thyrsiflora'', the hybrid is often confused with ''L. terrestris'', which also has a terminal raceme. The length of the terminal raceme, the length of its pedicel, and the length of the filaments may be used to distinguish ''L. terrestris'' from ''L.'' × ''commixta''.
Taxonomy
''Lysimachia'' × ''commixta'' was first collected (as ''L. terrestris'') by H. Eggert in 1878 in St. Clair County, Illinois. It was described by
Merritt Lyndon Fernald in 1950 based on an earlier report by Fernald and
Karl McKay Wiegand published in 1910. However, Fernald did not provide a Latin description of the hybrid and so technically the name is invalid.
Distribution
The distribution of ''Lysimachia'' × ''commixta'' coincides with that of its parents. The hybrid ranges from eastern
Canada, across
New England,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, and the
Great Lakes region, extending as far west as
Minnesota.
''Lysimachia'' × ''commixta'' is local in distribution. The parents may or may not be found in the vicinity of hybrid populations. For example, the populations in
St. Clair County, Illinois, discovered by Eggert in 1878, appear to be extra-parental in range. The hybrid's expansion into southern Illinois is thought to be a result of vegetative propagation along the
Mississippi River lowlands.
References
External links
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commixta
Plants described in 1950
Taxa named by Merritt Lyndon Fernald
Plant nothospecies
{{Primulaceae-stub