Japanese Spiraea (Invasive Plants of Maryland)

Japanese Spiraea

Spiraea japonica

Summary ⁸

Spiraea japonica, the Japanese meadowsweet, Japanese spiraea, or Korean spiraea, is a plant in the family Rosaceae. Synonyms for the species name are Spiraea bumalda Burv. and Spiraea japonica var. alpina Maxim.

Description and biology ⁹

Plant: small, deciduous shrub, 4-6 ft. tall, brown to red-brown stems.
Leaves: alternate, oval to lance-shaped, 3-6 in. long, dark green above, pubescent on veins beneath, coarsely toothed margins.
Flowers, fruits and seeds: flowers small pink (rarely white) in dense branched umbel-like clusters at the tips of branches, July to August; fruits mature in the fall.
Spreads: by seed which is produced in abundance.
Look-alikes: native white meadowsweet (Spiraea alba) which has white flowers in narrow branched clusters; exotic invasive Thunberg’s meadowsweet (S. thunbergii) and bridalwreath spiraea (S. prunifolia).

Ecological threat in the united states ¹⁰

Japanese spiraea can rapidly take over disturbed areas. Growing populations creep into meadows, forest openings, and other sites. Once established, spiraea grows rapidly and forms dense stands that outcompete much of the existing native herbs and shrubs. Seeds of Japanese spiraea last for many years in the soil, making its control and the restoration of native vegetation especially difficult.

Prevention and control ¹¹

Do not plant this species. Cutting may be effective for small populations or environmentally sensitive areas. Repeated mowing or cutting will control the spread of spiraea but will not eradicate it. Systemic herbicides containing glyphosate or triclopyr are effective.

History in the united states ¹²

Japanese spiraea was introduced into the United States as an ornamental landscape plant and first cultivated in the northeastern states around 1870.

Sources and Credits

(c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.dev.morphbank.net/?id=195981&imgType=jpg
(c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10287420
(c) Ingrid P. Lin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10304190
(c) Ingrid P. Lin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10304207
(c) bio22005fehr, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by bio22005fehr
(c) Victor Mozqueda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Victor Mozqueda
(c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.dev.morphbank.net/?id=196034&imgType=jpg
Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiraea_japonica
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733895
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22948862
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733896
(c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22948865

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

Flower color	pink

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