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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Spiraea alba (White meadowsweet)
Brundage, Stephanie

Spiraea alba

Spiraea alba Du Roi

White Meadowsweet

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: spal2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)

This mound-shaped shrub, 3-6+ ft. tall and wide, bears numerous, fine-textured, erect, unbranched stems. Deciduous foliage is yellow-green, turning golden-yellow in fall. Tiny white flowers are arranged in conical, terminal spikes. A woody shrub with a dense, pyramidal, terminal cluster of small, white or pale pinkish flowers.

The brown fruit, which persists after flowering, is a distinctive feature of all Spiraea. Although less spectacular than the showy, introduced garden spiraeas, this native species is most suitable for naturalistic landscaping. Virginia Spiraea (S. virginiana), with a rounded, short, broad flower cluster and thin oblong leaves, is found from Ohio and Pennsylvania south to Georgia and Louisiana.

 

From the Image Gallery

20 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Fruit Type: Aggregate , Follicle
Size Notes: Up to about 6-1/2 feet tall.
Leaf: Green
Autumn Foliage: yes
Fruit: Brown, aggregated follicles.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Pink
Bloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep
Bloom Notes: Sometimes tinged pink, especially in bud.

Distribution

USA: CT , DC , DE , IA , IL , IN , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , NC , ND , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SD , TN , VA , VT , WI , WV
Canada: AB , MB , NB , NL , NS , ON , PE , QC , SK
Native Distribution: S.w. Que. & n.w. VT to Alt., s. to NC & TN mts., IA & SD
Native Habitat: Swamps; wet meadows; shores

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
Soil pH: Circumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2)
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Soil Description: Wet soils.

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Intermediate.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Spring Azure

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees
Supports Conservation Biological Control

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Spring Azure
(Celastrina "ladon" )

Larval Host
Learn more at BAMONA

Propagation

Commercially Avail: yes

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FACW FACW FACW FACW FACW FACW
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Mt. Cuba Center - Hockessin, DE

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright
Bibref 946 - Gardening with Prairie Plants: How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes (2002) Wasowski, Sally
Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.
Bibref 1294 - The Midwestern Native Garden: Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants An Illustrated Guide (2011) Adelman, Charlotte and Schwartz, Bernard L.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Spiraea alba in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Spiraea alba in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Spiraea alba

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-21
Research By: TWC Staff

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