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shinyleaf spiraea Rosaceae Spiraea lucida Douglas ex Greene Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: SPLU5
Leaf: Alternate, simple, ovate to obovate, 1 to 3 inches long, margins coarsely toothed on the upper 2/3 of the leaf, green above, paler below, glabrous.
Flower: Small, white to pale pink, in flat-top terminal clusters, appearing in mid-summer.
Fruit: Fruits are small brown follicles about 1/8 inch borne in flat-top terminal clusters, persistent, appearing late summer.
Twig: Slender, stiff, "wandlike", largely unbranched, reddish brown; leaf scar small and raised, 1 bundle scar, glabrous.
Bark: Smooth, grayish to reddish brown eventually peeling off in fine strips.
Form: A multi-stemmed shrub to 3 feet tall.
 Looks like: rose meadowsweet - Douglas spiraea - Japanese spiraea

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Additional Range Information: Spiraea lucida is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information