Spiraea thunbergii Siebold ex Blume

Baby's Breath Spirea; Thunberg's Meadowsweet; Thunberg's Spirea

Shrub

Biennial

Vascular

Baby's Breath Spirea is an introduced deciduous shrub in the Rose family (Rosaceae). It is native to eastern China and Japan. In Alabama it can be found at scattered locations statewide. Baby's Breath Spirea occurs around old home sites, along fence rows, on roadsides, and in pastures. It is a woody shrub roaching heights of 3-6 feet and forms dense clumps of thin, flexible stems. The stems are branched above the middle and arch outwards. Stems are light brown in color and glabrous or pubescent. Leaves are petiolate, linear to lanceolate in outline, glabrous, with serrate margins. The leaves become yellow or orange before falling in the autumn. Flowers are produced in axillary panicles in the early spring before the leaves. Each panicle has 3-7 flowers, each with 5 white petals. The fruit is a follicle. Baby's Breath Spirea is a common ornamental in Alabama and occasionally persists or escapes from cultivation. Several cultivars are available including ones with double flowers, pink flowers, and compact mounding forms. Baby's Breath Spirea prefers a location in full sun with a well-draining soil. Plants can be propagated from suckers, cuttings, or seed.—A. Diamond

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Not Native

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