Spiraea tomentosa

Spiraea tomentosa, commonly known as steeplebush, meadowsweet, or hardhack, or eastern hardhack, is a flowering plant native to the eastern United States and Canada.[2][3]

"Hardhack" redirects here. For golden hardhack, see Dasiphora fruticosa.

Spiraea tomentosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Spiraea
Species:
S. tomentosa
Binomial name
Spiraea tomentosa
Synonyms[1]

Description

Spiraea tomentosa grows to up to four feet high and prefers moist to wet soil and full sun. It blooms in summer. Each tiny, pink flower is about 1/16 of an inch wide and arranged in narrow, pyramid-shaped flowerheads that grow up to eight inches long. The flowers are followed by small, dry, brown fruit. The specific epithet tomentosa refers to the undersides of the leaves and the stems, which are covered in a dense white-woolly tomentum.[3] It has similar characteristics to Spiraea douglasii.

Ecology

The plant bug Plagiognathus fuscosus breeds on steeplebush. Many bees visit the flowers: Apis mellifera (non-native), Bombus griseocollis, Bombus impatiens, Lasioglossum atwoodi, Lasioglossum hitchensi, and Hylaeus mesillae.[3]

Uses

Steeplebush is noted for its astringent properties, which cause it to be used medicinally.

The hardiness zone for this plant is listed as zones 4 to 8.

References
  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  2. "Spiraea tomentosa". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  3. Wilhelm, Gerould; Rericha, Laura (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indiana Academy of Sciences.
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