Spiraea alba (Meadowsweet)

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Spiraea alba Du Roi

Meadowsweet, white meadowsweet

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
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	Rosales	Rose family and eight others
Family	Rosaceae	Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others
Genus	Spiraea	From Greek speiraira, “a plant used for wreaths or garlands,” in turn from speira, “spiral or twisted”
Species	alba	“White”

About plant names...

Meadowsweet is native to North America. The similar-appearing Spiraea latifolia has recently been reclassified as a form of this species. See also steeplebush, a pink relative.

Plants: Shrub is 24-72" (60-182 cm) around, with multiple stems that are rarely branched. (Browsing by animals sometimes produces more densely branched bushes.) Stems are brown or yellowish brown.

Leaves: Alternate, green and textured above, paler in color beneath, narrowly ovate, and sharply toothed. They have pinnate veins and short stems, and are 1¾-2½" (5-7 cm) × ⅜-¾" (1-2 cm).

Flowers: Large, densely flowered panicles are 2-6" (5-15 cm) long, composed of individual flowers less than ¼" (6.3 mm) around. Each flower is white or pale pink, with five petals and a large number of stamens. They flower from June to September.

Fruits: Dry brown follicles opening at the tip when ripened, and persisting long after flowering.

These are similar:

8/1/2009 · Kennebunk Plains, Kennebunk, Maine
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

8/4/2006 · Mt. Mansfield, Stowe, Vermont

7/10/2021 · Fox East Trail, Bradbury Mountain, Pownal, Maine
≈ 6 × 4½" (15 × 11 cm)

	You are here Spiraea alba	*Spiraea tomentosa*
Common Name	meadowsweet	steeplebush
Plant	Shrub is 24-72" (60-182 cm) around, with multiple stems that are rarely branched. Stems are brown or yellowish brown.	24-48" (60-121 cm) tall, composed of groups of unbranched stems topped by conical flowerheads. Stems are orange-colored at first, from dense brown hairs, becoming reddish-brown and woody later.
Flowers	Large, densely flowered panicles are 2-6" (5-15 cm) long, composed of individual flowers less than ¼" (6.3 mm) around. Each flower is *white or pale pink*, with five petals and a large number of stamens. They flower from June to September.	Dense, cone-shaped panicles of *pink* flowers 2-6" (5-15 cm) long, each less than ¼" (6.3 mm) around, with five petals. Flowers appear from July to September.
Leaves	Alternate, green and textured above, paler in color beneath, narrowly ovate, and sharply toothed. They have pinnate veins and short stems, and are 1¾-2½" (5-7 cm) × ⅜-¾" (1-2 cm).	Alternate, dark green, hairless, and textured on top; pale and hairy below. They are 1½-3" (3.8-7.6 cm) × ½-1¼" (1.3-3.2 cm), roughly oval shaped (elliptic to ovate), coarsely toothed, connected by short stems.
Fruit	Dry brown follicles opening at the tip when ripened, and persisting long after flowering.	Pods that contain narrow seeds about ¹/₃₂" (1 mm) long.
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 3-7	USDA Zones: 4-8
Habitats	Damp meadows, pastures, old fields, in sandy, loamy soil	Damp meadows, pastures, old fields, in sandy, loamy soil
Type	Wild	Wild

Online References:

Illinois Wildflowers

The Ecology of Commanster

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Cofrin Center for Biodiversity

The University of Michigan Herbarium

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Fall Wildflowers of New England

9/11/2021 · Otter Brook Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 15 cm)

7/9/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm)

8/17/2020 · Otter Brook Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

7/16/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 13 × 17" (32 × 42 cm) ID is uncertain

8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm)

7/9/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 4" (13 × 10 cm)

8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 4½ × 6" (11 × 16 cm)

7/22/2012 · Wapack Trail, Pack Monadnock, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 6 × 9" (15 × 23 cm)

7/22/2012 · Wapack Trail, Pack Monadnock, Peterborough, New Hampshire
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 16 cm)

8/1/2009 · Kennebunk Plains, Kennebunk, Maine
≈ 4 × 3" (10 × 8.5 cm) ID is uncertain

Spiraea alba description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 26 Jul 2023.

8/1/2021 · Houghton Graves Park, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 3 × 5" (8.4 × 12 cm)

7/9/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 9" (18 × 23 cm)

8/4/2006 · Mt. Mansfield, Stowe, Vermont

7/10/2021 · Fox East Trail, Bradbury Mountain, Pownal, Maine
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.5 cm)

8/16/2014 · White Mountains, New Hampshire
≈ 5 × 7" (13 × 18 cm)

9/11/2021 · Otter Brook Preserve, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 15 cm)

7/9/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm)

7/9/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm)

7/9/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 5 × 7" (13 × 18 cm)

8/1/2021 · Houghton Graves Park, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 3½ × 5" (9 × 12 cm)

7/9/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 9" (14 × 22 cm)

Range: Zones 3-7:

About this map...