Bog Loosestrife vs Ciliate Loosestrife

Lysimachia terrestris compared with Lysimachia ciliata

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bog Loosestrife	Ciliate Loosestrife
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Ericales (Ericales)	Ericales (Ericales)
Family same	Primulaceae	Primulaceae
Genus same	Lysimachia	Lysimachia
Species	Lysimachia terrestris	Lysimachia ciliata

Evolutionary Relationship

Bog Loosestrife and Ciliate Loosestrife share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Lysimachia.

Conservation Status

Bog Loosestrife

NE — Not Evaluated

Ciliate Loosestrife

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bog Loosestrife	Ciliate Loosestrife
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bog Loosestrife

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Ciliate Loosestrife

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan), Europe (9 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

Bog Loosestrife

The Bog Loosestrife (Lysimachia terrestris) is a species in the genus Lysimachia. Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Ciliate Loosestrife

Ciliate loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata) is a rhizomatous perennial herb in the family Primulaceae, native to eastern and central North America, where it grows in moist to wet habitats including stream banks, lake margins, floodplain forests, meadows, and roadside ditches. It has been introduced to Europe, where it has naturalized and occasionally become invasive in riparian and wetland habitats in several countries. The plant produces erect stems typically 60–100 centimeters tall bearing opposite or whorled leaves with characteristic fringed (ciliate) petioles, which distinguish it from related species. The flowers are yellow with five petals reflexed backward, resembling other loosestrifes. Lysimachia ciliata blooms in summer and attracts specialist pollinators including Macropis bees, which collect floral oils from the flowers of Lysimachia species. The species is classified as Not Evaluated by the IUCN. It is common and widespread across its native North American range, from British Columbia and Quebec south to Florida and Texas. Cultivated varieties with bronze-purple foliage, such as 'Firecracker', are popular garden plants. In Europe, wild or garden-escaped populations can colonize disturbed wet habitats, raising ecological concerns about competition with native riparian flora. The generic placement in Primulaceae follows recent molecular phylogenetic revisions that merged the former Lysimachiaceae into the primrose family.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States