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Spiraea sargentiana Rehd.

Modern name

Spiraea sargentiana Rehder

A deciduous shrub 4 to 6 ft high, with long, slender, arching, round young shoots, at first downy, soon glabrous. Leaves narrowly oval to narrowly obovate, wedge-shaped and entire at the base, more or less toothed towards the tip, 12 to 1 in. long, 18 to 12 in. wide, dull green above, paler and downy beneath, the few veins running lengthwise; stalk 116 to 18 in. long. Flowers creamy white, 14 in. wide, produced during June in rounded clusters 1 to 134 in. wide that terminate short leafy twigs springing from the virgin shoots of the previous year; main and secondary flower-stalks downy.

Native of W. China; discovered and introduced by Wilson in 1908-9. In its graceful habit, small leaves and mode of flowering this resembles the well-known S. canescens which can be distinguished by its ribbed stems. It is also closely related to S. henryi, which has much larger but similarly toothed leaves. S. sargentiana is a distinctly pretty shrub, perfectly hardy and well worth cultivation. It received an Award of Merit in 1913.


Genus

Spiraea

Other species in the genus