Spiraea douglasii
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Spiraea douglasii 01.jpg
| status = G5
| status_system = TNC
| genus = Spiraea
| species = douglasii
| authority = Hook.
| synonyms =
{{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; |
- Drimopogon douglasii (Hook.) B.D.Jacks.
- Drimopogon menziesii (Hook.) B.D.Jacks.
- Spiraea fulvescens auct.
}}
| synonyms_ref = {{cite web
|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/rjp-1261
|title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species
|accessdate=June 3, 2014}}
}}
Spiraea douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the rose family. Common names include hardhack,{{Cite web|title=Spiraea douglasii|url=https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/spidou/all.html#BOTANICAL%20AND%20ECOLOGICAL%20CHARACTERISTICS|access-date=2021-05-06|website=www.fs.fed.us}} hardhack steeplebush, Douglas' spirea,{{GRIN | accessdate=3 June 2014}} douglasspirea, steeplebush, and rose spirea.[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SPDO USDA Plants Profile]
It is native to northwestern North America and is an invasive species in other locales.
Description
Spiraea douglasii is a woolly shrub growing {{Convert|3-6|ft|m|abbr=off|order=flip}} tall from rhizomes, forming dense riverside thickets.
The leaves are {{Convert|1-4|in|cm|abbr=off|order=flip}} long and toothed towards the tips. They are alternately arranged, and the undersides are whitish with prominent veins.
Large clusters of small, deep pink flowers form spires in early summer, later turning dark and persisting. The seeds are {{Convert|2|mm|frac=16}} long and are dispersed by animals and strong winds.
{{gallery|mode=packed
|Spiraea douglasii in the morning.jpg|Part of a field in Bend, Oregon
|Spiraea douglasii RF.jpg|Canadian flower
|Spiraeadouglasii.jpg|Californian close-up
|Douglas' Spiraea (15373908416).jpg|Late summer
}}
Distribution and habitat
The plant is native to northwestern North America from Alaska across southwestern Canada and the Pacific Northwest. It has spread to many other places as an invasive species. It was introduced to Europe in 1803, and is especially invasive in Denmark and Latvia.{{Cite web |title=EPPO Global Database |url=https://gd.eppo.int/reporting/article-664 |access-date=2021-05-06 |website=gd.eppo.int}} It is also found in France, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and Poland.{{cite web |title=Spiraea douglasii |url=http://www.alterias.be/alterias_search/?page=detailview&inv_id=25&lang=en |website=AlterIAS |accessdate=16 February 2017}}{{cite journal |last1=Weber |first1=Ewald |last2=Gut |first2=Daniel |date=December 2004 |title=Assessing the risk of potentially invasive plant species in central Europe |journal=Journal for Nature Conservation |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=171–179 |doi=10.1016/j.jnc.2004.04.002}}{{Cite web |title=Invasive Alien Species in Belgium: Spiraea douglasii |url=https://ias.biodiversity.be/species/show/139 |access-date=2021-05-06 |website=ias.biodiversity.be}}
It occurs most often in riparian habitat types, such as swamps, streambanks, bogs and mudflats.[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/spidou/all.html US Forest Service Fire Ecology] It grows best on moist or semiwet soils with good drainage. It tolerates a variety of soil types as well as gravelly substrates.
Spirea is shade-intolerant, and therefore grows primarily in open marshes among sedges, horsetails, wild blueberries, and other swamp flora, as well as in seral communities.
Ecology
The species is moderately fire-resistant, as many of the marshes across its native range would historically dry up by midsummer and be susceptible to fire. If the above-ground portion of the plant is killed, it can sprout from the stem base or rhizomes after a wildfire.
Spirea foliage is browsed by black-tailed deer but is not well liked by livestock, who only eat them occasionally. The flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds, and small birds eat the seeds which persist into the winter when food is less plentiful.{{Cite web|title=Spirea/Hardhack - The North Creek Wetland - UW Bothell|url=https://www.uwb.edu/wetlands/plants/spiraea-douglasii|access-date=2021-05-07|website=www.uwb.edu}} The plant provides nesting habitat for birds like marsh wrens and is a component of grizzly bear habitat.
The species may hybridize with white spirea (S. betulifolia) to form pyramid spirea (S. x pyramidata Greene).
= As an invasive species =
Where it is invasive, S. douglasii decreases biodiversity, colonizing wetlands with dense monocultural thickets to the detriment of other plants.
Uses
Indigenous peoples used the plant 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.
The plant is used as an ornamental in landscaping, where it grows best in sunny, moist places. Spirea is recommended for riparian revegetation projects in the Pacific Northwest, as it is hardy and grows quickly.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline|Spiraea douglasii}}
- [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?6677,6924,6926 Jepson Manual Treatment]
- [http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Spiraea&Species=douglasii Washington Burke Museum]
- [http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Spiraea+douglasii Photo gallery]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q159902}}