Lythrum tribracteatum, Lythrum bibracteatum, Three-bracted Loosestrife,
Hebrew: שנית שוות-שיניים

Scientific name:  Lythrum tribracteatum Sprengel
Synonym name:  Lythrum bibracteatum DC.
Common name:  Three-bracted Loosestrife
Hebrew name:  שנית שוות-שיניים
Family:  Lythraceae, Loosestrife family, כפריים

Lythrum tribracteatum, Lythrum bibracteatum, Three-bracted Loosestrife, שנית שוות-שיניים
Location: Netanya, the Dora rain pool

Life form:  Annual
Stems:  5-30 cm, erect, branched at base
Leaves:  Alternate,entire, oblong-oblanceolate, smooth
Inflorescence:  Raceme, cluster, axillary; bracts leaf-like; flowers ± sessile
Flowers:  Pink, violet
Fruits / pods:  Capsule, cylindrical; small seeds, light brown
Flowering Period:   February, March, April, May, June, July, August
Habitat:  Humid habitats
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:  Euro-Siberian - Med - Irano-Turanian
Summer shedding:  Ephemeral

Lythrum tribracteatum, Lythrum bibracteatum, Three-bracted Loosestrife, שנית שוות-שיניים
Location: Netanya, the Dora rain pool


Derivation of the botanical name:
Lythrum , lythronGreek,"blood," and alluding to the color of the flowers.
tribracteatum, tri, three, bractea, "thin plate of metal, gold-leaf"; with three-bracts.
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 is used to indicate Curt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel (1766 – 1833), a German botanist and physician.
  • The standard author abbreviation DC. is used to indicate Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1778 – 1841), a Swiss botanist.

Lythrum tribracteatum, Lythrum bibracteatum, Three-bracted Loosestrife, שנית שוות-שיניים
Location: Netanya, the Dora rain pool