Spiraea alba

Plant Characteristics

Habit		shrub
Height:	⇕	5 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 5.
Width:	⇔	5 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 5.
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial
Bloom:	❀	early summer, mid summer, late summer

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun
Features:	✓	flowers
USDA Zones:		5 to 9
Flower features:	❀	red, pink, white

Scientific Names

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The mountain shrub Spiraea alba is commonly known as narrowleaf meadowsweet, pale bridewort or pipestem and is found in the wet soils of the Allegheny Mountains.

The narrowleaf meadowsweet reaches 8 feet in height. It is often the most conspicuous part of the vegetation in its habitat, taking up large areas of ground. The white flowers grow in spikelike clusters at the top of the plants. The leaves are oblong or lance-shaped and toothed on the edges. The twigs are tough and yellowish brown. The hollow, upright stems were used historically as pipe stems. It flowers from early summer through September.

Read about Spiraea alba in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Spiraea alba, Dur. (S. salicifolia var. paniculata, Ait. S. lanceolata, Borkh.). Queen Of The Meadow. Meadow-Sweet. Attractive upright shrub, attaining 6 ft., with reddish brown branches puberulous when young: lvs. narrow, oblong to oblanceolate, acute, usually regularly simply serrate, l 1/2 – 2 1/2 in. long: fls. white, in leafy pyramidal tomentulose panicles, the lower spreading ramifications much longer than their supporting lvs.; stamens white, usually as long as petals: follicles quite glabrous. June-Aug. From N. Y. west to Mo., south to Ga. and Miss. B.B. (ed.2)2:245. —Also known as S. salicifolia. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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