Decodon verticillatus (L.) Elliott
Swamp-loosestrife, waterwillow
Waterwillow is a native to eastern North America.
Plants: These shrubs may reach up to 8′ (2.4 m) in height. Though classified as shrubs, these plants straddle the border between shrubs and herbaceous plants. The underwater parts of the plants persist through the winter, but the above water parts die back. Long stems are unbranched or with few branches. Stems above the water line are somewhat angular. They are pale green to red in color, and woody near the base. When stem tips hit moist ground, they root, forming clonal colonies over time.
Leaves: Lanceolate, opposite or in whorls of 3 or 4. Each leaf is up to 6 ⨉ 2″ (15 ⨉ 5 cm), smooth on top, sometimes hairy below, on short petioles (stalks). The leaf has smooth edges and tapers to a point.
Flowers: Flowers are variously described as somewhere between purple to rose pink to red. Each flower has five to seven crinkly petals, and five long stamens and five more shorter ones. They appear in clusters at leaf axils, from June to July. Each flower cluster is about 2″ (5 cm) around.
Fruits: Spherical dark brown capsules about ¼″ (6.3 mm) around contain many reddish seeds.
Habitats: In swamps and shallow water, ditches, or along pond, stream, or lake edges. Soil must be mucky, peaty, or sandy.
Online References:
Decodon verticillatus (L.) Elliott var. laevigatus Torr. & A. Gray
8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 21 cm) 
9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 11 × 7″ (28 × 18 cm) 
8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
8/13/2017 · Burges Pond, Westford, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Myrtales | Includes myrtles, leadwoods, loosestrifes, pomegranates, evening primroses, many others |
| Family | Lythraceae | Loosestrife family, also Includes henna, pomegranates, crape myrtles, others |
| Genus | Decodon | From Greek deca, “ten,” and odous, “tooth,” for the ten prominent stamens |
| Species | verticillatus | Whorled |
Decodon verticillatus description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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