Spiraea prunifolia |
Spiraea |
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bridal-wreath spiraea, bridalwreath meadowsweet, bridalwreath spirea |
meadowsweet, spiraea, spirea, spirée |
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Habit | Shrubs, 10–30 dm. | Shrubs, 1–40 dm; usually rhizomatous. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stems | erect, virgate, branched. |
5–20+, usually erect to ascending or arching, sometimes spreading, prostrate, or decumbent; bark reddish to dark brown, gray, or gray-black, exfoliating or not; long and short shoots present; young stems tan or reddish brown to brown, glabrous or villous. |
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Leaves | petiole 1–4 mm, pubescent; blade usually ovate to elliptic, sometimes oblanceolate, 1–4(–5) × 1–2 cm, membranous, base obtuse, margins serrulate, usually from near base to apex, sometimes only distally from middle, rarely nearly entire with few teeth apically, venation pinnate cladodromous, secondary veins not prominent, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface lanate to glabrescent, adaxial glabrate. |
deciduous (tardily so in S. thunbergii, partly persistent in S. cantoniensis), cauline, alternate, dimorphic with shoot type, simple; petiole present; blade obovate to oblanceolate, rhombic, elliptic, or linear to lanceolate, ovate, or suborbiculate, 1–10 cm, membranous, chartaceous, or coriaceous, margins flat, serrate to serrulate, dentate, or entire, venation pinnate, surfaces glabrous or hairy. |
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Inflorescences | mostly axillary, usually hemispheric panicles, sometimes simple fascicles, 3–6-flowered, sessile, 2–3 × 1–3 cm; bractlets 3–7 × 3–5 mm; branches pubescent. |
mostly terminal or mostly axillary, (2–)3–1000+-flowered, panicles or corymbiform or racemiform, hairy or glabrous; bracts present or absent; bracteoles present or absent. |
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Pedicels | 10–30 mm, pubescent. |
present. |
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Flowers | 5–15 mm diam.; hypanthia campanulate, 1–1.2 mm, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely hairy, adaxial glabrous; sepals ovate to ovate-triangular, 1–3 mm; petals white to cream, often with more than a single whorl of petals in most commonly escaped form, ovate to obovate, 2–10 mm; staminodes 10–16, irregularly fused; stamens 20–25, 0.5 times petal length. |
opening before or after full foliation, 2–15 mm diam.; epicalyx bractlets 1 or 2; hypanthium usually hemispheric or campanulate, sometimes turbinate or crateriform, 0.5–2(–5) mm, ± densely hairy or glabrous; sepals 5, usually erect, spreading, or reflexed, sometimes ascending, deltate, triangular, ovate-triangular, or ovate; petals 5, greenish, yellowish, chalky, or translucent white, white, pink [rose], or purple, ovate to obovate, suborbiculate, or orbiculate, sometimes elliptic; staminodes present or reduced to annulus, nectariferous; stamens 10–50 in 2–4 series, shorter or longer than petals; torus absent or reduced; carpels [3 or]4 or 5[–8], free, glabrate to tomentose, styles terminal or subterminal, stigmas capitate or discoid; ovules 2[–4]. |
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Fruits | aggregated follicles, 4 or 5, cymbiform, ellipsoid, falcate, fusiform, or oblanceoloid, (0.5–)1.5–4 mm, coriaceous, glabrous or tomentose; hypanthium persistent; sepals persistent or deciduous, spreading, ascending, erect, or reflexed; styles persistent or deciduous. |
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Seeds | 2–4 per follicle, fusiform to oblong, 2–4 mm. |
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Follicles | oblanceoloid, 1.5–2 mm, glabrous, adaxial suture sparsely hairy. |
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x | = 9. |
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2n | = 18. |
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Spiraea prunifolia |
Spiraea |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Aug; fruiting May–Nov. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Habitat | Abandoned homesteads, roadsides, meadows, riparian zones | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation | 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distribution |
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; GA; IL; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; TN; VA; WV; NS; ON; Asia (China, Japan, Korea) [Introduced in North America]
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North America; Europe; Asia [Introduced widely, especially in the northern hemisphere, where often cultivated] |
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Discussion | Spiraea prunifolia is an ornamental shrub that can be found established in many areas. The double-flowered variant (most common in cultivation) may be assigned to var. prunifolia; single-flowered forms may be assigned to three other varieties [see Lu L. T. and C. Alexander (2003) for a key to native varieties in China]. L. H. Bailey et al. (1949), W. J. Bean (1970–1988, vol. 4), H. S. Maxwell and S. G. Knees (1989), A. Huxley et al. (1992, vol. 4), and references therein provide useful additional information on variation in S. prunifolia. M. De Cleene and J. De Ley (1981) noted that S. prunifolia and S. ×vanhouttei (see discussion below) are hosts to infectious hairy-root. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Species 100–120 (17, including 3 hybrids, in the flora). Spiraea has been a popular decorative plant in North America, Europe, and Asia. Horticultural hybrids have been named. Hybridization also occurs in natural settings, complicating the identification of the species and varieties. For specimens that are suspected of being naturalized or of hybrid origin, additional references for identification include horticultural works such as L. H. Bailey et al. (1949), W. J. Bean (1970–1988, vol. 4), A. J. Rehder (1927), H. S. Maxwell and S. G. Knees (1989), and A. Huxley et al. (1992, vol. 4), or the major floristic treatments by A. I. Pojarkova (1971) and Lu L. T. and C. Alexander (2003), and references therein. The position of Spiraea within the Rosaceae has been the subject of considerable speculation; treatments by D. Potter et al. (2002, 2007b) are particularly useful. The floral ontogeny and morphology of S. alba and S. trilobata Linnaeus were examined and compared to other members of the Amygdaloideae by R. C. Evans and T. A. Dickinson (1999b). Spiraea hypericifolia Linnaeus has been found naturalized in eastern Texas (J. N. Mink et al. 2011) and has been reported in Mississippi (plants.usda.gov). The species is native to central and southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe; it has been widely cultivated in Europe and North America, but there are few reports of its escape and naturalization. The invasive potential of S. hypericifolia is uncertain and will likely vary with local site conditions. In its native habitat, it can form thickets on dry slopes and in riparian zones and wet meadows. A description of Spiraea hypericifolia follows: Shrubs 5–15 dm, usually rhizomatous. Stems erect to ascending. Leaves: petiole 1–4 mm; blade oblong-obovate or obovate lanceolate, 1.5–2 × 0.3–0.8 cm, length 2–4 times width, base acute, margins entire or with a few reduced teeth at apex, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces usually glabrous. Inflorescences axillary, 4–12-flowered, 0.75–2.5 × 1–3 cm. Flowers 5–8 mm diam.; hypanthia campanulate, 2–4 mm; sepals triangular, 1.5–2 mm; petals white, obovate to suborbiculate, 3–4 mm; staminodes 10–12; stamens 16–22, 0.8 times petal length. Follicles oblanceoloid, 1.4–2 mm, glabrous. In North America, Spiraea hypericifolia would most resemble S. prunifolia or S. thunbergii and can be distinguished from these two species in that they have a leaf blade margin that is sharply serrulate, whereas in S. hypericifolia the margin is entire or with only a few teeth at the apex. Other characters that are helpful are leaf shape; see the descriptions of 12. S. prunifolia and 13. S. thunbergii for comparative details. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 9, p. 408. | FNA vol. 9, p. 398. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent taxa | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Spiraeeae > Spiraea | Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Spiraeeae | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Name authority | Siebold & Zuccarini: Fl. Jap. 1: 131, plate 70. (1840) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 489. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 216. (1754) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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