Lythrum junceum

Lythrum junceum, Lytrum flexuosum, Lythrum graefferi, False grass-poly, Creeping Loosestrife,

Hebrew: שנית מתפתלת, Arabic: فرندل أسلي

Scientific name:   Lythrum junceum Banks et Solander
Synonym name:   Lythrum flexuosum auct. non Lagasca, Lythrum graefferi Ten.
Common name:   False grass-poly, Creeping Loosestrife
Hebrew name:   שנית מתפתלת
Arabic name:   فرندل أسلي
Family:   Lythraceae, Loosestrife family, כפריים


Life form:   Annual
Stems:   15-35 cm high; stems 15-75 cm long
Leaves:   Alternate, entire, ellips
Inflorescence:   Axillary, 6-merous
Flowers:   Pink, 4-6 petals; stamens 12
Fruits / pods:   Capsule
Flowering Period:   March, April, May, June, July
Habitat:   Humid habitats
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

Lythrum, Greek lythron, “blood,” from the color of the flowers.

junceum, rush like.
flexuosum, tortuous, zigzag.
graefferi, named for John Graeffer; he is said to have been a German of birth, and to have been a pupil of Philip Miller (1691 – 1771).
The Hebrew name: שנית, shanit, formed from שני (= scarlet, crimson), with suffix-ית, it; so called in allusion to the color of its flowers.

  • The standard author abbreviation Banks is used to indicate Joseph Banks (1743 – 1820), a British naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences.
  • The standard author abbreviation Solander is used to indicate Daniel Solander (1733 – 1782), a Swedish botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Lagasca is used to indicate Mariano Lagasca y Segura (1776 – 1839), a Spanish botanist, writer and doctor.
  • The standard author abbreviation Ten. is used to indicate Michele Tenore (1780 – 1861), an Italian botanist