Lythrum salicaria; purple loosestrife  [Lythraceae]  Tall, stout perennial wetland herb with long showy purple-magenta flower spikes in late summer.  Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3, stalkless, lance-shaped.  Flowers 6-parted, ½-1” wide, aggregated into long terminal spikes.  Often grows in dense stands from woody taproots and dense mats of fibrous rhizomes.  Introduced as a garden flower, it has escaped and reproduced prolifically throughout most of temperate North America.  It is illegal to sell, distribute, or cultivate purple loosestrife in Wisconsin and several other states.  [089]