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Spiraea

{{Short description|Genus of plants}}

{{About||British warships of the same name|HMS Spiraea|the asteroid|1091 Spiraea}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Illustration Spiraea salicifolia0.jpg| image_caption = Spiraea salicifolia

| display_parents = 2

| taxon = Spiraea

| authority = L.

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = About 80-100, see text

}}

Spiraea {{IPAc-en|s|p|aɪ|ˈ|r|iː|ə}},Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. 606–07. sometimes spelled spirea in common names, and commonly known as meadowsweets or steeplebushes, is a genus of about 80 to 100 species[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=131015 Spiraea.] Flora of China. of shrubs in the family Rosaceae. They are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest diversity in eastern Asia.

The genus formerly included the herbaceous species now segregated into the genera Filipendula and Aruncus; recent genetic evidence has shown that Filipendula is only distantly related to Spiraea, belonging in the subfamily Rosoideae.

Description

File:Spiraea hypericifolia flowerdiagram.png of Spiraea hypericifolia]]

image:Spiraea betulifolia (5087436129).jpg]]

File:Spiraea japonica 'Goldflame' 06.jpg 'Goldflame' 06]]

image:Autumn ball.JPG in autumn]]

Spiraea plants are hardy, deciduous-leaved shrubs. The leaves are simple and usually short stalked, and are arranged in a spiralling, alternate fashion. In most species, the leaves are lanceolate (narrowly oval) and about {{convert|2.5|to|10|cm|in}} long. The leaf margins are usually toothed, occasionally cut or lobed, and rarely smooth. Stipules are absent.

The many small flowers of Spiraea shrubs are clustered together in inflorescences, usually in dense panicles, umbrella-like corymbs, or grape-like clusters. The radial symmetry of each flower is fivefold, with the flowers usually bisexual, rarely unisexual. The flowers have five sepals and five white, pink, or reddish petals that are usually longer than the sepals. Each flower has many (15 to 60) stamens. The fruit is an aggregate of follicles.

Ecology

Spiraea species are used as food plants by the larvae of many Lepidoptera species, including the brown-tail, the small emperor moth, the grey dagger, the setaceous Hebrew character, and the moth Hypercompe indecisa.

The leaves of S. betulifolia are eaten by blue grouse in spring, and the plant is browsed by deer in summer.{{cite book |last=Whitney |first=Stephen |title=Western Forests (The Audubon Society Nature Guides) |date=1985 |publisher=Knopf |location=New York |isbn=0-394-73127-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/westernforests00whit/page/437 437] |url=https://archive.org/details/westernforests00whit/page/437 }}

Uses

= Food =

Native Americans ate the species S. betulifolia.{{Cite book|last=Reiner|first=Ralph E.|title=Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies|publisher=Glacier Park, Inc.|year=1969|pages=20}}

=Horticulture=

Image:Spiraea japonica.jpg]]

Many species of Spiraea are used as ornamental plants in temperate climates, particularly for their showy clusters of dense flowers. Some species bloom in the spring, others in midsummer.

The following species, hybrids and cultivars are among those found in cultivation:

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  • S. 'Arguta'
  • S. betulifolia
  • S. canescens
  • S. cantoniensis
  • S. × cinerea
  • S. douglasii
  • S. japonica
  • S. nipponica
  • S. prunifolia
  • S. × pseudosalicifolia
  • S. salicifolia
  • S. 'Snow White'
  • S. thunbergii
  • S. trichocarpa
  • S. × vanhouttei
  • S. veitchii{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|pages=1136}}

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Spiraea 'Arguta' (bridal wreath){{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/93388/Spiraea-Arguta/Details | title = Spiraea 'Arguta' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 5 March 2021}} and Spiraea × cinerea 'Grefsheim'{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/76395/Spiraea-x-cinerea-Grefsheim/Details | title = Spiraea × cinerea 'Grefsheim' | publisher = RHS | access-date = 5 March 2021}} have won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

=Traditional medicine=

Spiraea contain salicylates. Acetylsalicylic acid was first isolated from Filipendula ulmaria,{{citation needed|reason="acetylsalicylic acid is described elsewhere as synthesised from salicylic acid"|date=December 2019}} a species at the time classified in the genus Spiraea. The word "aspirin" was coined by adding a- (for acetylation) to spirin, from the German Spirsäure, a reference to Spiraea.{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-1-84628-933-0_3.pdf#page-1|doi=10.1007/978-1-84628-933-0_3|chapter=Symptomatic drug treatment|title=Inflammatory Arthritis in Clinical Practice|year=2007|last1=Scott|first1=David L.|last2=Kingsley|first2=Gabrielle H.|pages=48–64|isbn=978-1-84628-932-3}}Harper, D. [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=aspirin aspirin.] Online Etymology Dictionary. 2013.Weiss, H. J. (1974). [http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=356473 Aspirin – A dangerous drug?] JAMA 229(9), 1221-22.

Native American groups have various medicinal uses for local Spiraea species. S. betulifolia is used for abdominal pain and made into a tea.[http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Spiraea+betulifolia Spiraea betulifolia.] Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan, Dearborn. The Blackfoot use S. splendens root in an enema and to treat venereal conditions.[http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Spiraea+splendens Spiraea splendens.] Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan, Dearborn.

=Other=

Native Americans found S. douglasii useful for making brooms and hanging seafood to cook.[http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Spiraea+douglasii Spiraea douglasii.] Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan, Dearborn.

Species

Image:Spiraea thunbergii2.jpg]]

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Formerly placed here

Hybrids

There are also numerous named hybrids, some occurring naturally in the wild, others bred in gardens, including several important ornamental plants:

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  • Spiraea × arguta (S. × multiflora × S. thunbergii) – garland spiraea
  • Spiraea × billiardii (S. douglasii × S. salicifolia) – Billiard's spiraea
  • Spiraea × blanda (S. nervosa × S. cantoniensis)
  • Spiraea × brachybotrys (S. canescens × S. douglasii)
  • Spiraea × bumalda (S. japonica × S. albiflora)
  • Spiraea × cinerea (S. hypericifolia × S. cana)
  • Spiraea × conspicua (S. japonica × S. latifolia)
  • Spiraea × fontenaysii (S. canescens × S. salicifolia)
  • Spiraea × foxii (S. japonica × S. betulifolia)
  • Spiraea × gieseleriana (S. cana × S. chamaedryfolia)
  • Spiraea × macrothyrsa (S. douglasii × S. latifolia)
  • Spiraea × multiflora (S. crenata × S. hypericifolia)
  • Spiraea × notha (S. betulifolia × S. latifolia)
  • Spiraea × nudiflora (S. chamaedryfolia × S. bella)
  • Spiraea × pikoviensis (S. crenata × S. media)
  • Spiraea × pyramidata (S. betulifolia × S. douglasii) – pyramid spiraea
  • Spiraea × revirescens (S. amoena × S. japonica)
  • Spiraea × sanssouciana (S. japonica × S. douglasii)
  • Spiraea × schinabeckii (S. chamaedryfolia × S. trilobata)
  • Spiraea × semperflorens (S. japonica × S. salicifolia)
  • Spiraea × vanhouttei (S. trilobata × S. cantoniensis) – Van Houtte's spiraea
  • Spiraea × watsoniana (S. douglasii × S. densiflora)

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References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

{{Wikispecies}}

  • [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?11409 GRIN Species Records of Spiraea.] Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
  • [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=25328 Spiraea.] Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
  • {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Spiræa|year=1905 |short=x}}

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{{Authority control}}

Category:Spiraeeae

Category:Rosaceae genera