Misplaced Pages

#884115

33-483: Originally the site was officially designated the Cedar Creek Forest which takes its name for Cedar Creek that winds through East Bethel. The bog where the site initially began was informally called by professors " Decodon Bog." The site was known as Cedar Creek Natural History Area until its change in 2007. Encompassing 5,400 acres (22 km) of native upland forests and prairie and lowland swamps and meadows,

66-560: A model of successful biological pest control . Research began in 1985 and today the plant is managed well with a number of insects that feed on it. Five species of beetle use purple loosestrife as their natural food source, and they can do significant damage to the plant. The beetles used as biological control agents include two species of leaf beetle : Galerucella calmariensis and Galerucella pusilla ; and three species of weevil : Hylobius transversovittatus , Nanophyes breves , and Nanophyes marmoratus . Infestations of either of

99-474: A single woody root mass. The stems are reddish-purple and square in cross-section. The leaves are lanceolate , 3–10 centimetres (1–4 in) long and 5–15 millimetres ( 3 ⁄ 16 – 9 ⁄ 16  in) broad, downy and sessile , and arranged opposite or in whorls of three. The flowers are reddish purple, 10–20 millimetres ( 1 ⁄ 2 – 3 ⁄ 4  in) in diameter, with six petals (occasionally five) and 12 stamens, and are clustered tightly in

132-402: A tube, or touching without overlapping. The petals are crumpled in the bud and wrinkled at maturity, and are typically distinct and overlapping; they are occasionally absent. Usually, twice as many stamens as petals are seen, arranged in two whorls, and the stamens are often unequal in length. Occasionally, the stamens are reduced to one whorl, or are more numerous with multiple whorls. The ovary

165-449: A worldwide distribution, with most species in the tropics, but ranging into temperate climate regions as well. The family is named after the type genus, Lythrum , the loosestrifes (e.g. Lythrum salicaria purple loosestrife ) and also includes henna ( Lawsonia inermis ). It now includes the pomegranate , formerly classed in a separate family Punicaceae . The family also includes the widely cultivated crape myrtle trees. Botanically,

198-562: Is a family of flowering plants , including 32 genera , with about 620 species of herbs , shrubs , and trees . The larger genera include Cuphea (275 spp.), Lagerstroemia (56), Nesaea (50), Rotala (45), and Lythrum (35). It also includes the members of the former families of the pomegranate ( Punica granatum , formerly in Punicaceae ) and of the water caltrop ( Trapa natans , formerly in Trapaceae ). Lythraceae has

231-473: Is a brown beetle with a black line on its thorax. The adult feeds on the leaves of the plant, producing characteristic round holes. Its larvae destroy tender leaf buds and strip the tissue from the leaves. The golden loosestrife beetle Galerucella pusilla is nearly identical to G. calmariensis , but usually lacks the black thoracic line. Its feeding habits are also quite similar to the other leaf beetle. The loosestrife root weevil Hylobius transversovittatus

264-416: Is a large red nocturnal weevil, which spends its nights feeding on leaves and leaf buds. The larvae emerge from their eggs and immediately burrow into the root of the plant, which they feed on continuously for over a year. This root damage stunts the plant's growth and ability to create seeds. If several larvae inhabit the same root, the plant can be killed. The loosestrife flower weevil Nanophyes marmoratus

297-475: Is a tiny weevil which lays a single egg in each flower. When the larvae emerge they eat the flowers' ovaries, and the plant is unable to create seeds. The larvae usually proceed to hollow out the flower buds and use them as safe places to pupate. Caterpillars of the engrailed moth ( Ectropis crepuscularia ), a polyphagous geometer moth , also feed on purple loosestrife. It has been used as an astringent medicinal herb to treat diarrhea and dysentery ; it

330-489: Is also now considered synonymous . Lythrum salicaria is native to Europe, temperate Asia and northwest Africa. It is also naturalized in many temperate parts of the world, including parts of southern Africa, North America, and South America. The species was thought to be a recent introduction to Australia, but pre-colonial pollen samples have been found in New South Wales, indicating another route of introduction;

363-492: Is considered safe to use for all ages, including babies. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens, and is particularly associated with damp, poorly drained locations such as marshes, bogs and watersides. However, it will tolerate drier conditions. The flowers are showy and bright, and a number of cultivars have been selected for variation in flower colour, including: The cultivars ‘Blush’ with blush-pink flowers, and 'Feuerkerze' with rose-red flowers have gained

SECTION 10

#1732855500885

396-469: Is cultivated for the dye of the same name, derived from its leaves. Ornamentals are grown from a number of genera, including Cuphea , Lagerstroemia (crape myrtles), and Lythrum (loosestrifes). Purple loosestrife ( Lythrum salicaria ) is an invasive exotic weed of wetlands throughout Canada and the United States. Within the order Myrtales , the family Lythraceae is most closely related to

429-688: Is named for Lysimachus , an army general and friend of Alexander the Great . Lysimachus is derived from the Greek lysis , meaning "loosing" and mache , meaning "strife". The specific epithet salicaria derives from the similarity of the leaves to those of willows or Salix species. The English word loosestrife first appeared in written form in the 16th century. It was coined by English naturalist William Turner in his 1548 work A New Herball , in which he states: "[The plant] may in englishe be called red loosestryfe or purple loosestryfe." Purple loosestrife

462-407: Is typically superior , infrequently semi-inferior , or rarely inferior . The two to many carpels can be fused together ( syncarpous ), with two to numerous ovules in each locule , with axile placentation of the ovules. Heterostyly – the presence of two (distylous) or three (tristylous) distinct flower morphs within a species differing in the lengths of the pistil and stamens – is common within

495-559: The Onagraceae , with the Combretaceae sister to both families. Molecular phylogeny work has led to the inclusion of the formerly recognized families Duabangaceae, Punicaceae, Sonneratiaceae, and Trapaceae. Lythraceae has 31 genera in five subfamilies: Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria or purple loosestrife is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae . It should not be confused with other plants sharing

528-584: The Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit . It has also been introduced in many areas of North America by bee keepers , due to its abundance of flowers which provide an important source of nectar . Purple loosestrife has been introduced into temperate New Zealand and North America where it is now widely naturalised (spreading on its own) and officially listed in some controlling agents. Infestations may rarely result in dramatic disruption in water flow in rivers and canals, and

561-400: The axils of bracts or leaves, (a type of inflorescence called a verticilaster ), there are three different flower types , with the stamens and style of different lengths, short, medium or long; each flower type can only be pollinated by one of the other types, not the same type, thus ensuring cross-pollination between different plants. For instance, if the pistil is medium length, then

594-437: The stamens will be long and short, but not medium. The flowers are visited by many types of insects, and can be characterized by a generalized pollination syndrome . The fruit is a small 3–4 millimetres ( 1 ⁄ 8 – 5 ⁄ 32  in) capsule containing numerous minute seeds . Flowering lasts throughout the summer. When the seeds are mature, the leaves often turn bright red through dehydration in early autumn;

627-827: The Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, including a Zooniverse project. Established in 1942 by the University of Minnesota , the site was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1975 and 1980 under the Historic Sites Act . It received this designation in May 1975 from the United States Secretary of the Interior , giving it recognition as an outstanding example of

660-692: The Lythraceae. The fruit is usually a dry, dehiscent capsule, occasionally a berry . The seeds are usually flattened and/or winged, with a multilayered outer integument . Epidermal hairs that expand and become mucilaginous when wet are found in about half the genera. The Lythraceae are widely distributed, but with most species tropical and some temperate. They are absent from the Sahara and most arid regions of Australia. Many species occur in aquatic or semi-aquatic habitats ( Decodon , Didiplis , Rotala , Sonneratia , Trapa ). The oldest fossils of

693-523: The University's acquisition in 1940. The site is currently operated by the University's College of Biological Sciences in cooperation with the Minnesota Academy of Science . Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is often considered to be the birthplace of the modern science of ecosystem ecology . This claim is attributed to limnologist Raymond Lindeman (1915-1942) who performed his PhD research on

SECTION 20

#1732855500885

726-577: The bud and the many-layered outer integument of the seed. The leaves generally have an opposite arrangement, but sometimes are whorled or alternate . They are simple with smooth margins and pinnate venation. Stipules are typically reduced, appearing as a row of minute hairs, or absent. The flowers are bisexual, radially or occasionally bilaterally symmetric, with a well-developed hypanthium . The flowers are most commonly quadimerous but can be heximerous, with four to eight sepals and petals. The sepals may be distinct, partially fused to form

759-435: The ecological dynamics of Cedar Bog Lake located in the reserve. Linking Sir Arthur Tansley's coined term "ecosystem" to field research, his studies were influential in forming modern ecosystem ecology. Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve also tested the first radio collars for animal tracking in the 1960s and developed prescribed burning techniques for savannas. Lythraceae 31 (27); see text. Lythraceae

792-465: The family are pollen from the Late Cretaceous ( Campanian ) of Wyoming in western North America, around 82 to 81   million years old. Edible crops include the pomegranate ( Punica granatum ) and the water caltrop ( Trapa bicornis or T. natans ). The pomegranate is cultivated for the fleshy arils surrounding the seeds, and the water caltrop for its seeds. Henna ( Lawsonia inermis )

825-401: The leaves are usually in pairs (opposite), and the flower petals emerge from the rim of the calyx tube . The petals often appear crumpled. Lythraceae species are most often herbs, and less often shrubs or trees; the shrubs and trees often have flaky bark. Traits shared by species within the Lythraceae that distinguish them from belonging to other plant families are the petals being crumpled in

858-450: The life cycles of organisms from waterfowl to amphibians to algae being affected. A single plant may produce up to 2.7 million tiny seeds annually. Easily carried by wind and water, the seeds germinate in moist soils after overwintering. The plant can also sprout anew from pieces of root left in the soil or water. Once established, loosestrife stands are difficult and costly to remove by mechanical and chemical means. Plants marketed under

891-621: The name "European wand loosestrife" ( L. virgatum ) are the same species despite the different name. In some cases the plants sold are sterile, which is preferable. In North America, purple loosestrife may be distinguished from similar native plants (e.g., fireweed Chamerion angustifolium , blue vervain Verbena hastata , Liatris Liatris spp., and spiraea ( Spiraea douglasii ) by its angular stalks which are square in outline, as well as by its leaves, which are in pairs that alternate at right angle and are not serrated. Purple loosestrife provides

924-399: The name loosestrife that are members of the family Primulaceae . Other names include spiked loosestrife and purple Lythrum . This herbaceous perennial is native to Europe and Asia, and possibly Australia. The generic name Lythrum is derived from the Greek 'lythron', meaning blood, in reference to the flower colour in some species. However, Pliny (A.D. 23–79) stated that Lythrum

957-556: The nation's natural history. The designation describes it as a Relatively undisturbed area where three biomes meet (tall grass prairie, eastern deciduous forest and boreal coniferous forest), supporting 61 species of mammals and 259 species of birds. A nationally and internationally famous research center. It was later designated by the National Science Foundation as a Long Term Ecological Research site in 1982. Minnesota ecologists purchased land parcels through 1929 until

990-430: The question is considered unresolved by Australian authorities. Found in ditches, wet meadows and marshes and along sides of lakes. In North America, purple loosestrife can invade sedge meadows . The flowers are pollinated by long-tongued insects, including bees and butterflies . A number of insects use Lythrum salicaria as a food resource. The black-margined loosestrife beetle Galerucella calmariensis

1023-411: The red colour may last for almost two weeks. The dead stalks from previous growing seasons are brown. L. salicaria is very variable in leaf shape and degree of hairiness, and a number of subspecies and varieties have been described, but it is now generally regarded as monotypic with none of these variants being considered of botanical significance. The species Lythrum intermedium Ledeb. ex Colla

Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-466: The site contains over 900 plots of long-term experimental research which evaluate plant competition and biodiversity . The herbivory research division examines animal and plant relationships. Led by prominent American ecologist G. David Tilman , the University schedules more than 130 faculty, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, staff, and undergraduate researcher interns to the site as of 2006. Several citizen science programs are located at

1089-420: Was referred to several times as 'long purples' by John Clare , such as in his 1821 poem The Wildflower Nosegay : "Where on the water op'd the lily buds And fine long purples shadow'd in the lake..." Lythrum salicaria can grow 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) tall, forming clonal colonies 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) or more in width, with numerous erect stems growing from

#884115