Spiraea thunbergii

Plant Characteristics

Habit		shrub
Height:	⇕	5 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 5.
Width:	⇔	7 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 7.
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial
Bloom:	❀	early spring, mid spring, late spring

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun
Features:	✓	flowers
USDA Zones:		4 to 10
Flower features:	❀	white

Scientific Names

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Spiraea thunbergii (Thunberg's meadowsweet) is a plant in the rose family, Rosaceae.

Spiraea thunbergii (common names : baby's breath spirea, Thunberg spirea; Japanese common name : yuki-yanagi) is a small, long-lived shrub with thin, flexible stems. It is native to Japan and China. It is also a popular landscape shrub in southeastern U.S.

The flowers are white, borne in early spring (late March to early April) and late fall. It reaches a height of 1.5-1.8 meter and is about as wide. The alternate, simple, almost linear leaves are semideciduous.

This plant produces phytotoxic cis-cinnamoyl glucosides and cis-cinnamic acid The plant-growth inhibition characteristics can be used against diverse species as lettuce (Lactuca saliva), pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), red clover (Trifolium pratense), timothy (Phleum pratense), and bok choy (Brassica rapa var chinensis). The characteristics of these natural chemicals indicate a potential role of cis-cinnamic acid and its glucosides as allelochemicals (chemicals, released from plants, that cause an interaction between plants and other living organisms) for use as plant growth regulators and weed suppression in agricultural fields and in natural ecosystems.

This species forms an interspecific hybrid with Spiraea japonica L. fil.

In the horticultural trade one can obtain several varieties of Spiraea thunbergii, such as 'Mt Fuji' (white flowers), 'Ogon' (bright yellow flowers), 'Mellow yellow' and 'Fugino pink'

Read about Spiraea thunbergii in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Spiraea thunbergii, Sieb. Shrub, 5 ft. high, with spreading or arching branches: lvs. linear-lanceolate, sharply serrulate, 1-1 3/4 in. long: fls. pure white, about 1/3 in. across, in 3-5-fld. naked umbels; petals obovate, much longer than stamens: follicles with the spreading styles below the apex. April, May. China, Japan.— A very graceful early-flowering shrub, the slender arching branches clothed with feathery bright green foliage, turning late in fall to orange or scarlet. Almost hardy, but tips of branches sometimes killed by severe frost; valuable for seaside planting. 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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