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Spiraea x 'Fire Light'

(Fire Light Spirea)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Fire Light Spirea

Description

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Family Rosaceae

Trees , shrubs , or herbs, deciduous or evergreen . Stems erect , scandent , arching , prostrate , or creeping , armed or unarmed . Buds usually with several exposed scales , sometimes with only 2. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, simple or compound ; stipules paired , free or adnate to petiole , rarely absent, persistent or deciduous; petiole usually 2-glandular apically; leaf blade often serrate at margin , rarely entire . Inflorescences various, from single flowers to umbellate , corymbose , racemose or cymose-paniculate. Flowers usually actinomorphic , bisexual , rarely unisexual and then plants dioecious. Hypanthium (formed from basal parts of sepals, petals, and stamens) free from or adnate to ovary, short or elongate . Sepals usually 5, rarely fewer or more, imbricate; epicalyx segments sometimes also present. Petals as many as sepals, inserted below margin of disk, free, imbricate, sometimes absent. Disk lining hypanthium, usually entire, rarely lobed . Stamens usually numerous , rarely few, always in a complete ring at margin of or above disk; filaments usually free, very rarely connate ; anthers small, didymous , rarely elongate, 2-locular. Carpels 1 to many, free, or ± connate and then adnate to inner surface of cupular receptacle; ovary inferior, semi-inferior, or superior; ovules usually 2 in each carpel, rarely 1 or several, anatropous , superposed . Styles as many as carpels, terminal , lateral , or basal, free or sometimes connate. Fruit a follicle, pome, achene, or drupe, rarely a capsule, naked or enclosed in persistent hypanthium and sometimes also by sepals. Seeds erect or pendulous, sometimes winged , usually exalbuminous , very rarely with thin endosperm; cotyledons mostly fleshy and convex abaxially, rarely folded or convolute.

Between 95 and 125 genera and 2825-3500 species: cosmopolitan , mostly in N temperate zone; 55 genera (two endemic) and 950 species (546 endemic) in China.

Many plants of this family are of economic importance and contribute to people s livelihoods. The Rosaceae contain a great number of fruit trees of temperate regions . The fruits contain vitamins, acids, and sugars and can be used both raw and for making preserves, jam, jelly, candy, various drinks, wine, vinegar, etc. The dried fruits of the genera

Amygdalus and Armeniaca are of high commercial value. Some plants in the genus Rosa containing essential oils or with a high vitamin content are used in industry . Rosaceae wood is used for making various articles , stems and roots are used for making tannin extract, and young leaves are used as a substitute for tea. Numerous species are used for medical purposes or are cultivated as ornamentals .

The Rosaceae are very well represented in China, with great economic and scientific importance. The Co-chairs of the Editorial Committee (Wu and Raven) here note that the patterns of relationship are complex and the group is taxonomically difficult. [1]

Genus Spiraea

Shrubs deciduous. Winter buds small, with 2-8 exposed scales . Leaves alternate, usually shortly petiolate , simple ; stipules absent; leaf blade veins usually pinnate, rarely 3-5 from base , margin serrate or incised, sometimes lobed , rarely entire . Flowers in umbels, umbel-like racemes , corymbs, or panicles, bisexual , rarely ± unisexual . Hypanthium campanulate or cupular, lined by nectariferous disk. Sepals 5, valvate or slightly imbricate, usually slightly shorter than hypanthium. Petals 5, imbricate or contorted, usually longer than sepals. Stamens 15-60, borne between disk and petals. Disk annular, usually lobed. Carpels (3-) 5(-8), free ; ovules (2 to) several per carpel, pendulous; styles terminal , subterminal , or abaxial ; stigma capitate or disciform . Follicles bony, often dehiscent along adaxial suture . Seeds linear to oblong , minute; testa membranous.

Between 80 and 100 species: N temperate zone, extending S to mountainous subtropical areas; 70 species (47 endemic) in China.[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Mounding

Flowers: Flower Color: Pink • Flower Conspicuous: Cup-shaped flowers in flat-topped clusters .

Size/Age/Growth

Growth Rate: Moderate Growing • Size: Compact mound 2 to 3 ft . high and 4 ft. wide.

Landscaping

Care: Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish an extensive root system. Feed regularly during the growing season with a general purpose fertilizer . Prune annually in late winter to promote vigorous new growth.

Biology

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Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full sun

Moisture: Water Requirements: Water regularly, when top 3" of soil is dry.

Temperature: Heat Zones: High: 8 (>90 to 120 days) Low:1 (< 1 days) (map) • Cold Hardiness: High:8 (10 to 20 F) Low:4 (-30 to -20 F) (map)

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Spiraea

There are approximately 865 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

S. 'Abigail' · S. acuminata · S. acuta · S. acutifolia · S. adiantifolia · S. aemiliana stevenii · S. aemula · S. affinis · S. aitchisonii · S. alaschanica · S. alba (Narrow-Leaved Meadowsweet) · S. alba f. lanceolata · S. alba f. paniculata · S. alba f. rosea · S. alba latifolia · S. alba var. alba · S. alba var. lanceolata · S. alba var. latifolia (Northern Meadow-Sweet) · S. alba var. septentionalis · S. alnifolia · S. alpestris · S. alpina · S. alpina var. altaica · S. altaica · S. altaiensis · S. ambigua · S. amena · S. amena var. pauciflora · S. americana · S. anatolica · S. angustifolia · S. angustiloba · S. anomala · S. aquilegifolia · S. aquilegifolia x alpina · S. aquilegifolia x media · S. aquilegiifolia · S. aquilegiifolia var. vanhouttei · S. arborea · S. arbuscula · S. arctica · S. arcuata · S. argentea · S. argunensis · S. arguta (Garland Spiraea) · S. ariaefolia · S. ariifolia · S. arunachalensis · S. aruncus · S. aruncus var. astillboides · S. assimilis · S. assurgens · S. astilboides · S. aubifolia · S. baldshuanica · S. barbata · S. beauverdiana · S. belgica · S. bella · S. bellardii · S. bella var. bella · S. bella var. fastigiata · S. bella var. pubicarpa · S. bernhardi · S. bernhardii · S. besseriana · S. bethlehemensis · S. bethlemensis · S. bethtlemensis · S. betulaefolia · S. betulaefolia var. typica · S. betulifolia (White Spirea) · S. betulifolia rosea · S. betulifolia 'Tor' (Tor Birchleaf Spirea) · S. betulifolia typica · S. betulifolia var. aemiliana · S. betulifolia var. betulifolia · S. betulifolia var. concolor · S. betulifolia var. corymbosa (Birch-Leaved Spirea) · S. betulifolia var. lucida (Birch-Leaved Spirea) · S. betulifolia var. nanella · S. betulifolia var. sachalinensis · S. betulifolia x beauverdiana · S. billardi · S. billardieri · S. billardii · S. billiardii (Billiard's Spirea) · S. blanda · S. blumei · S. blumei f. amabilis · S. blumei f. blumei · S. blumei forma amabilis · S. blumei forma blumei · S. blumei var. blumei · S. blumei var. hayatae · S. blumei var. latipetala · S. blumei var. microphylla · S. blumei var. obtusata · S. blumei var. pubescens · S. blumei var. pubicarpa

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Cuizhi Gu, Chaoluan Li, Lingdi Lu, Shunyuan Jiang, Crinan Alexander, Bruce Bartholomew, Anthony R. Brach, David E. Boufford, Hiroshi Ikeda, Hideaki Ohba, Kenneth R. Robertson & Steven A. Spongberg "Rosaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 9 Page 46. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Lu Ling-ti, Crinan Alexander "Spiraea". in Flora of China Vol. 9 Page 47. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-04-25