Data from: Lythrum salicaria common garden under Neogalerucella herbivory

<b>Abstract</b><br/><p>We transplanted1088 seedlings of the invasive perennial plant <i>Lythrum salicaria</i> (purple loosestrife), from 136 maternal families sourced from 17 populations in the region around Ottawa, Canada, into a common garden containing 4 plots. The 17 populations differed in their prior exposure to the biocontrol agent <i>Neogalerucella spp.</i> leaf beetles (naïve = no prior exposure; recent = secondary colonization, ~5-15 years; release = sites of biocontrol release, ~20 years ago). Plants were planted in a wetland containing other <em>Lythrum</em> plants and experienced ambient (but significant) herbivory by <i>Neogalerucella </i>spp. leaf beetles. We measured herbivory, plant size and biomass over a period of 3.5 years; see the publication for more details. This experiment used the same seed material as a previously published greenhouse study by Stastny & Sargent 2017 (see below). Additional datasets, such as the proportion and phenology of flowering individuals, leaf size, stem and meristem numbers, etc., are available upon request.</p> <p> </p>