Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Spiraea japonica

Family

Rosaceae

Flowering season

June to September

English distribution

It is found mainly in the area stretching from Greater London

to Oxfordshire, and is scattered throughout the rest of the

country.

For a map see the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland –

Japanese Spiraea.

Habitat

It is a neophyte which has been grown in UK gardens since the

1850s.

The naturalised escape has been known as in the wild since the

early 1900s. It grows on waste ground, tips, scrub, heaths and

brownfield sites, by roads, and in hedges, scrub, quarries

and relic gardens.

Description

Japanese Spiraea is a deciduous shrub growing up to 1.5m.

The flowerheads are dark pink and flat topped.

Individual flowers have 5 broad, light pink petals.

There is a dark pink concave receptacle.

There are numerous stamens which are longer than the petals.

The filaments are pink and the anthers lilac.

There are 5 pink styles with pale, capitate stigmas.

Leaves are yellow green, toothed and alternate.

Stems are dark brown, branched and wiry.