Winged Lythrum

Lythrum alatum

native · Central Texas

Winged Lythrum is a shrub native to Central Texas that grows 2–3 ft tall and 3 ft wide. It wants full sun and medium water, and handles clay soil. Blooms pink and purple in May–Sep. Good for hummingbirds.

Wet ground only. A wetland plant: it needs standing water or saturated soil — a pond edge, creek bank or rain garden, not a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

5 sources

Type: Shrub
Sun: Full sun (6–8 hrs of direct sun)
Water: Medium
Height: 2–3 ft
Spread: 3 ft
Bloom: May–Sep · pink, purple
Foliage: Deciduous or dies back in winter
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on clay, loam, moist, poor drainage, sand
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth
Wildlife: Supports hummingbirds

Where it grows

Recorded in these EPA Level IV ecoregions in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Northern Blackland PrairieSouthern Post Oak SavannaFloodplains and Low TerracesLimestone Cut PlainSan Antonio Prairie

29 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.