Winged Loosestrife

Lythrum alatum

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Agonopterix lythrella (Oecophoridae)
S14 host record; S10 also mentions Eudryas unio (Pearly Wood Nymph) on Lythrum spp.
❄️ Winter Food Source: Yellow Rail (Rallidae) feeds on Lythrum seeds, comprising a significant fraction of its diet in at least one study. Persistent capsules may hold seeds into winter months.
S57 genus-level diet record

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Ranked S3 (Vulnerable) in Ontario and N3 nationally in Canada. Globally secure (G5). The species reaches its northeastern range limit in southern Ontario. In the Ottawa area it was historically known from Marlborough Forest but is possibly extirpated from that site. Not listed under SARA.
S22 G5, N3, S3-ON; S62 extirpated old record; S26 not SARA listed
Rarity Ranks: ON S3 – Vulnerable
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Winged loosestrife occupies moist to wet prairies, marshes, fens, and shorelines of lakes and ponds across the Great Lakes region. In Ontario it reaches its northeastern range limit and is ranked S3 (Vulnerable). The species was historically known from Marlborough Forest near Ottawa but may now be extirpated from that site. It favors poorly drained soils high in organic matter and can be outcompeted by dense stands of reed canary grass or invasive purple loosestrife.
S10 habitat; S62 Ottawa status; S22 S3 rank; S7 wet meadows/shores

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 15 bee associations (threshold=3)]
Notes: Winged loosestrife is well-suited to wet prairie and rain garden plantings alongside other obligate wetland species. Its summer bloom period fills a gap between spring and fall wetland flowers, providing nectar to long-tongued bees, bumble bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
S10 faunal associations; S4 wildlife use

Category: Kidney Aid
S28 Cherokee Drug, Kidney Aid
Notes: The Cherokee used an infusion of this plant as a kidney aid. This is the sole ethnobotanical medicinal record documented by Moerman (Hamel & Chiltoskey 1975).
S28 Cherokee Drug, Kidney Aid

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No food uses are documented for this species. Moerman records only medicinal use by the Cherokee.
S28 Drug category only; S29 no edible uses