Spiraea fritschiana — identification & habitat

Fritsch's spirea is a compact Asian shrub grown in U.S. gardens for broad clusters of small white flowers. Its dark green leaves can turn yellow, orange, or red in fall. It is also called Korean spirea.

Appearance

Growth form: It is a compact, shrub, usually 2–3 ft (0.6–0.9 m) tall and 3–5 ft (0.9–1.5 m) wide in cultivation.
Leaves: The alternate leaves are oval to oblong, toothed, and up to 3 in (8 cm) long.
Flowers: Pinkish buds open into many tiny white flowers held in broad, flat-topped clusters.
Flowering time: In Midwestern U.S. gardens, it blooms in May and June.
Fruit: The fruit is a small, dry that opens to release seeds.

Look-alikes

Japanese spireaSpiraea japonica

Fritsch's spirea has clearly angled young branches and usually opens white flowers from pinkish buds. Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica) more often has pink to reddish-pink flowers, though can vary.

Why they get mixed upBoth are compact landscape shrubs with toothed leaves and flat-topped flower clusters.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: shrub borders
rocky slopes
woodland edges
Range: It is native to China and Korea, not to the United States. In the U.S., it is mainly known as a cultivated landscape shrub.
Preferred conditions: It grows best in full sun or light shade with moist, well-drained soil.
Flowering: Flowers May–Jun
Flowers May–Jun

Name and classification

Varieties and forms: Pink-a-licious™ ('JN Select') and Pink Parasols® ('Wilma') are named pink-flowered cultivars of this species. They are cultivated forms, not separate wild species. Garden plants can therefore look different from the white-flowered wild form.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

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