That's Lythrum salicaria or purple loosestrife! Wow, what a name... See more on my herbalism course at bit.ly/votanotherapeia ...discover my bodywork books at bit.ly/elefteria ...and read more about that. It has been used as an astringent medicinal herb to treat diarrhea and dysentery; it is considered safe to use for all ages, including babies. In Greece, this herb is known as salikaria or barikoxorto. Lythrum salicaria is a herbaceous perennial plant, that can grow 1–2 m tall, forming clonal colonies 1.5 m or more in width with numerous erect stems growing from a single woody root mass. The stems are reddish-purple or red to purple and square in cross-section. The leaves are lanceolate, 3–10 cm long and 5–15 mm broad, downy and sessile, and arranged opposite or in whorls of three. The flowers are reddish purple, 10–20 mm diameter, with six petals (occasionally five) and 12 stamens, and are clustered tightly in the axils of bracts or leaves; 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. Photo taken by me, all rights reserved. Text credit, Wikipedia. #herbaleducation #lythrum #lythrumsalicaria #purpleloosestrife #Lythraceae #eatweeds #medicinalplants #wildfoodlove #wildfood #myherbalstudies #botany #greekflora #greekfood #wildherbs #foragingforfood #greekherbs #herbalistsofinstagram #herbalremedies #foraging #plantallies (at Ioánnina, Greece) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUND3GwIFRV/?utm_medium=tumblr
