# white meadowsweet (*Spiraea alba*) White meadowsweet is a lovely shrub that blooms with fluffy white flowers in the summer. It grows in wetlands and is great for attracting butterflies and bees! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 11 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![white meadowsweet](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Spiraea.alba.-.lindsey.jpg&width=800) Photo: James K. Lindsey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spiraea.alba.-.lindsey.jpg) ## Appearance The white meadowsweet is a medium-sized shrub with a bushy, upright form. It has slender stems topped with airy, conical clusters of tiny, creamy-white flowers that create a fluffy appearance. Its narrow, green leaves are serrated along the edges. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Rosales - **Family:** Rosaceae - **Genus:** Spiraea ## Interesting facts - It's a champion at growing in soggy, wet soils where many other plants would struggle! - Its tiny white flowers grow in fluffy, cone-shaped clusters, looking like frosted spires! - People once brewed refreshing teas from its leaves and flowers, even before aspirin was made! - This plant is sometimes called 'pipestem' because its older, hollow stems were used for smoking pipes! ## Special abilities - **Wet Feet Wanderer:** White meadowsweet can thrive in soggy, wet soils that most plants dislike, helping it colonize unique habitats. - **Pollinator Beacon:** White meadowsweet has abundant, nectar-rich flowers that attract many different insects, helping it reproduce. - **Spreading Roots:** White meadowsweet can spread underground with rhizomes, helping it grow into dense patches and secure its territory. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-200 cm - **Spread:** 90-180 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Pollinates:** Common Eastern Bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — gathers pollen and nectar - **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — sips nectar from flowers - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — browses its leaves and twigs ## Traits - [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Fall Color](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fall-color): Fall color refers to the seasonal change in foliage pigmentation, primarily in deciduous plants, displaying vibrant hues. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always enjoy plants from a distance and don't eat anything without asking an adult. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify white meadowsweet? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is white meadowsweet? 100-200 cm ### How wide does white meadowsweet spread? 90-180 cm ### How big are the flowers on white meadowsweet? 0.5-1 cm ### When does white meadowsweet bloom? Summer ### Is white meadowsweet edible? No ### Is white meadowsweet toxic? None ### What is white meadowsweet's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Carriage Paths, Bridges and Gatehouses](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/carriage-paths-bridges-and-gatehouses) — Maine, US · Historic District - [Rockywold-Deephaven Camps](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rockywold-deephaven-camps) — New Hampshire, US · Historic District - [Salmon Falls (West) Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/salmon-falls-west-historic-district) — Maine, US · Historic District - [Malcolm Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/malcolm-preserve) — Massachusetts, US · Nature Reserve - [Canaan](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/canaan) — Connecticut, US · Neighborhood - [Coolidge Reservation](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/coolidge-reservation) — US · Nature Reserve [View all places to see white meadowsweet](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/white-meadowsweet) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [White Meadowsweet: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-meadowsweet)