Birth flower for August 19
Purple loosestrife
Meaning: sorrowful love, pure affection
The Japanese name misohagi is said to come from misogi, purification, because sprigs dipped in water were used to sprinkle and cleanse offerings. It is still placed on family altars during the summer Obon festival, when ancestors are remembered. The plant loves wetlands and sends up slender magenta spikes in midsummer. In North America, introduced loosestrife spread so widely that it became a well-known invasive weed.