White meadowsweet sweetens meadow landscapes in mid-summer with its cone-shaped spires of tiny white flowers borne at the ends of leggy branches. It differs from its other native cousin, rosy meadowsweet (Spiraea tomentosa) by having hairless leaves.

Sometimes Eastern Meadowsweet is considered a variety of Meadowsweet and it is referred to as Spiraea alba latifolia. The showy Spiraea spp. that are commonly cultivated as landscape plants have been introduced from the Old World.

Spiraea alba, commonly called meadowsweet, is an upright, deciduous shrub which grows up to 4' tall and features alternate, narrow, toothed, green leaves and terminal, cone-shaped clusters (3-4" long) of tiny, white flowers that bloom in the summer. Fruits mature in September.

Mar 26, 2025 · Seeds disperse somewhat like milkweed pods. It resembles Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa) which is commonly observed growing alongside it, but this type has pink flowers and the leaves are silvery-white on the underside. Meadowsweet will be easiest to …

Meadowsweet is a native deciduous shrub in the Roseaceae (rose) family that is typically found in the eastern portion of North America including North Carolina. It grows naturally in bogs, swamps, wet meadows, along stream banks, and shore areas. Boasting fragrant flowers and a …

Spiraea alba (White Meadowsweet) is a woody deciduous shrub bearing erect, unbranched stems clad with narrow, sharply serrated, medium green leaves. The foliage turns golden-yellow in fall.

Spirea alba is the native Meadowsweet shrub. White Meadowsweet is a variety of the native that grows in a more compact shape that makes it much more low maintenance. The pink buds open into fluffy white masses of flowers that are magnets for beneficial pollinators.

similar to S. alba but twigs more purplish or red; Browse for deer and protective cover; buds are eaten by ruffed and sharptail grouse and twigs by rabbit and deer.

(These observations may refer to either Spiraea alba alba or Spiraea alba latifolia, or both varieties. Observations are from Knight, Hottes & Frison, Wagner, Clark et al., Covell, Felt, …

Spiraea is a small shrub usually with several straight upright shoots. Its clusters of small while flowers stand out in the summer, and the dried fruit clusters are usually visible in the winter as well. There are a few species that differ mainly in leaf shape. Narrowleaf Spirea (Spiraea alba) is probably the most common and is picture here.