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mountain spiraea, rose meadowsweet, rosy spiraea, shiny-leaf spiraea, subalpine spiraea, subalpine spirea

Photo is of parent taxon

bridal-wreath spiraea, rose meadowsweet

Habit Shrubs, 2–10 dm.
Stems

spreading to ascending, branched.

Young stems

, leaf abaxial surface, and pedicels and bracteoles puberulent.

Leaves

petiole 1–4 mm;

blade ovate to elliptic, 1–4 × 1–2(–3) cm, chartaceous, base usually obtuse, sometimes acute, margins crenate to serrate distally from middle, venation pinnate craspedodromous, secondary veins prominent, apex usually obtuse, sometimes acute, abaxial surface glabrous or puberulent, adaxial glabrous.

Inflorescences

mostly terminal, corymbiform or hemispheric panicles, 100–1000+-flowered, 2–4 × 2–4 cm height 0.8–1 times diam.;

branches glabrous or puberulent.

Pedicels

1–3(–5) mm, glabrous or puberulent.

Flowers

2–4 mm diam.;

hypanthia hemispheric, 0.5–1.1 mm, abaxial surface glabrous or pubescent, adaxial pubescent;

sepals triangular, 0.8–1 mm;

petals light to dark pink, ovate to obovate, 1–2.5 mm, veins prominent;

staminodes 5–10, reduced, fused, appearing as scalloped ring;

stamens 35–40, 2 times petal length.

hypanthial surfaces puberulent.

Follicles

oblanceoloid, 2–3 mm, shiny, glabrous, adaxial suture sparsely ciliate.

Spiraea splendens

Spiraea splendens var. rosea

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug; fruiting Jul–Nov.
Habitat Along streams, lakeshores, margins of woods, meadows, open rocky slopes
Elevation 200–3500 m [700–11500 ft]
Distribution
map from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
map from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; AB
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

The name Spiraea densiflora Nuttall ex Rydberg subsp. splendens (É. N. Baumann ex K. Koch) Abrams, which pertains here, is incorrect in relation to the priority of S. splendens (1875) over S. densiflora, which is an illegitimate name with no priority.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Spiraea densiflora Nuttall ex Greenman (1898) is an illegitimate name, sometimes found in synonymy with S. splendens var. rosea.

Spiraea densiflora Nuttall ex Rydberg is an illegitimate name that pertains here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Spiraeeae > Spiraea Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Spiraeeae > Spiraea > Spiraea splendens
Sibling taxa
S. alba, S. cantoniensis, S. chamaedryfolia, S. corymbosa, S. douglasii, S. japonica, S. lucida, S. prunifolia, S. salicifolia, S. stevenii, S. thunbergii, S. tomentosa, S. virginiana, S. ×hitchcockii, S. ×pyramidata, S. ×vanhouttei
S. splendens var. splendens
Subordinate taxa
S. splendens var. rosea, S. splendens var. splendens
Key
1. Young stems, leaf abaxial surfaces, and pedicels and bracteoles glabrous or glabrate.
var. splendens
1. Young stems, leaf abaxial surfaces, and pedicels and bracteoles puberulent.
var. rosea
Synonyms S. betulifolia var. rosea, S. arbuscula, S. helleri, S. lucida var. rosea
Name authority E. N. Baumann ex K. Koch: Monatsschr. Vereines Beförd. Gartenbaues Königl. Preuss. Staaten 18: 294. (1875) (A. Gray) Kartesz & Gandhi: Phytologia 67: 464. (1989)
Source FNA vol. 9, p. 405. Treatment author: Richard Lis. FNA vol. 9, p. 406. Treatment author: Richard Lis.
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