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Spiraea alba

Du Roi

Narrowleaf Meadowsweet

G5Secure Found in 51 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Narrowleaf Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba). Photo by Susan Berry, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist.
Susan Berry, CC0 1.0
Narrowleaf Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba). Photo by roachiecanada, CC BY-NC 4.0, via iNaturalist.
roachiecanada, CC BY-NC 4.0
Narrowleaf Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba). Photo by Mark Rosenstein, CC BY-NC 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Mark Rosenstein, CC BY-NC 4.0
Narrowleaf Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba). Photo by Warren Dunlop, CC BY-NC 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Warren Dunlop, CC BY-NC 4.0
Narrowleaf Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba). Photo by Yianni Laskaris, CC BY-NC 4.0, via iNaturalist.
Yianni Laskaris, CC BY-NC 4.0
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.961595
Element CodePDROS1Q0T0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRosales
FamilyRosaceae
GenusSpiraea
Other Common Names
Narrow-leaved Meadowsweet (EN) Spirée blanche (FR)
Concept Reference
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2014b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 9. Magnoliophyta: Picramniaceae to Rosaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 713 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Flora North America (vol. 9, 2014) expands the concept of Spiraea alba var. latifolia to include S. septentrionalis, while Kartesz (1994) treats them as distinct.
Conservation Status
Review Date2016-04-04
Change Date2016-04-04
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs on shores, in swamps and wet meadows (Wildflower Center, 2017).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceous
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLAND
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
AlbertaS3Yes
QuebecSNRYes
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
IllinoisSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
VirginiaSNRYes
TennesseeS1Yes
OhioSNRYes
North CarolinaS2Yes
DelawareS1Yes
MarylandSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
South DakotaS3Yes
MissouriSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
KentuckySNRYes
New YorkSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (51)
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
Michigan (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear SwampHuron-Manistee National Forest3,915
Norwich Plains Revised Roadless AreaOttawa National Forest4,360
Minnesota (7)
AreaForestAcres
Baker - Homer - Brule LakesSuperior National Forest6,712
Brule Lake - Eagle MountainSuperior National Forest12,380
Hegman LakesSuperior National Forest675
Kawishiwi Lake To SawbillSuperior National Forest15,305
Phantom LakeSuperior National Forest6,521
Tait LakeSuperior National Forest6,327
Wood LakeSuperior National Forest596
New Hampshire (15)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Cherry MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,766
Dartmouth RangeWhite Mountain National Forest9,233
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
JobildunkWhite Mountain National Forest3,660
KearsargeWhite Mountain National Forest4,554
KilkennyWhite Mountain National Forest28,766
Kinsman MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,999
Mt. Wolf - Gordon PondWhite Mountain National Forest11,846
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Pemigewasset ExtWhite Mountain National Forest15,840
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
WatervilleWhite Mountain National Forest4,312
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Boteler PeakNantahala National Forest4,205
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
North Dakota (3)
AreaForestAcres
DurlerDakota Prairie Grasslands12,464
SheyenneDakota Prairie Grasslands14,537
VenloDakota Prairie Grasslands5,317
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Flint Mill GapCherokee National Forest9,494
Vermont (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Devil's Den 09083Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests9,169
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Lye Brook Addition 09085Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,111
Wilder Mountain 09082Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests8,759
Woodford 09086Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests2,456
Virginia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Mt. PleasantGeorge Washington National Forest8,933
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
West Virginia (10)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Cheat MountainMonongahela National Forest8,191
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaMonongahela National Forest785
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
East Fork Of GreenbrierMonongahela National Forest7,167
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Seneca CreekMonongahela National Forest22,287
Wisconsin (1)
AreaForestAcres
09011 - Flynn Lake Study AreaChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest5,951
References (4)
  1. Dodds, J.S. 2025. <i>Spiraea alba</i> Rare Plant Profile. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites, Forests & Natural Lands, Office of Natural Lands Management, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton, NJ. 15 pp. [https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/parksandforests/spiraea-alba-narrow-leaf-meadow-sweet.pdf]
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2014b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 9. Magnoliophyta: Picramniaceae to Rosaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 713 pp.
  3. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  4. Wildflower Center. 2017. Native Plant Database: <i>Spiraea alba</i>. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas, Austin. Accessed: September 28, 2022. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SPAL2