Northeast Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Spiraea alba DuRoi
- Family: Rose (Rosaceae)
- Flowering: June-September
- Field Marks: The inflorescence of the narrow-leaf meadow-sweet is an elongated panicle, with the panicle branches minutely woolly. The leaves of this species are green on both sides.
- Habitat: Moist soils.
- Habit: Shrub to 5 feet tall; bark brown.
- Stems: Twigs yellow-brown, tough; buds spherical, brown, smooth, about 1/24 inch long.
- Leaves: Alternate, simple, lanceolate to oblong, pointed at the tip, tapering to the base, finely toothed, green and smooth on both surfaces, up to 3 inches long, up to 1 inch wide; leaf stalks up to 1/6 inch long, winged.
- Flowers: Many in an elongated panicle, the branches of the panicle minutely woolly; flowers up to 1/3 inch across, white.
- Sepals: 5, united below, green.
- Petals: 5, free from each other, white, nearly spherical, up to 1/6 inch long.
- Stamens: Numerous.
- Pistils: Usually 5 but up to 8, free from each other, each with a superior ovary.
- Fruits: Follicles usually 5, pale brown, smooth, up to 1/4 inch long.
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