Floridata: Spiraea cantoniensis

Welcome (homepage)

Member Pages
Register (free!)
Login

Plant Encyclopedia
Plant List
Plant Tag Lists
Site Search

More Floridata
Resources/Articles
Write Us
About Floridata
Privacy Policy

Community
Forums
Directories
Members
Businesses
Organizations

Shop
Bookshop
Marketplace

#245 Spiraea cantoniensis
Common Names: Reeves' spirea, double bridal wreath, double Reeves
Family: Rosaceae (rose Family)

Get link to this Profile or click for data record #245

It's March and the Reeve's spirea blankets itself in snowy white blossoms in Jack's North Florida garden.

Description
Reeves' spirea is a deciduous or semievergreen little shrub with very showy clusters of white flowers in midspring. This spirea (or bridal wreath) gets 3-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) tall and the wiry, reddish brown, gracefully arching stems can cover an area 6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m) across. The leaves are about 2 in (5.1 cm) long, dark green on top, pale blue green beneath, and diamond shaped with toothed margins. The small roselike flowers (0.5 in in diameter) have five (or many) white petals and are borne in round clusters about 2 in (5.1 cm) across and are profusely distributed all over the bush. The cultivar, 'Lanceata', with double flowers (many petals), is more commonly seen than the species, which is rarely cultivated in the US.

Click to download a large version of this closup of the double flowers of 'Lanceata' Reeve's spirea.

Location
Reeves' spirea is native to China, and possibly also Japan, where it has been cultivated as an ornamental for centuries.

Culture
Reeves' spirea is very fast growing and thrives on neglect.
Light: Reeves' spirea flowers best when grown in full sun, but puts on a respectable display even in partial shade.
Moisture: Fairly drought tolerant.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 5 - 9.
Propagation: Spireas are easily propagated from cuttings of green tip shoots in late spring and summer, or grown from seed.

These are the double flowers of the cultivar 'Lanceata'.

Usage
Without pruning, and allowed to assume its natural growth habit, Reeves' spirea forms a beautiful mound of gracefully arching stems covered, in midspring, with masses of snow white flowers. If it is necessary to prune (and that's a pity!), do so right after flowering, before the next year's flower buds develop. Reeves' spirea is an excellent choice for a mixed shrub border. It is at its best as a specimen shrub alone, in a small group, or alongside flamboyant Asian azaleas, blooming at the same time. The dried flower clusters persist well in floral arrangements.

Features
There are about 90 species of Spiraea, mostly in Europe, Asia and North America. Reeve's spirea is one of the most beautiful and popular among a large group of long-cultivated ornamentals. It has a relatively long flowering period, and in the Deep South is almost evergreen.

Steve Christman 1/12/00; updated 12/26/03, 4/14/05

Copyright 1996 - 2009 Floridata.com LC Tallahassee, Florida USA