158 . DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SHRUBS 



O. Leaves smooth or nearly so and sharply notched except at base, 

 but not lobed ; blooming June-Aug. (P.) 

 P. Upright to G feet with reddish-brown branches and white 

 flowers in leafy pyramid-shaped clusters ; stamens about as long 

 as the petals and white ; pods smooth. Meadow-sweet 

 — Spiraea alba. 

 P. "With larger and somewhat blushed petals and pink stamens 

 longer than the petals. Queex of the Meadow — Spirix-a 

 latifolia. 

 P. With pink and white flowers and stamens twice the length of 

 the petals ; pods hairy where they join. Willow-leaved 

 Spirea (230) or Meadow-sweet — Spimea salicif olia. 

 P. With bright pink flowers in narrow clusters 5-8 inches long, 

 stamens more than twice the length of the nearly round petals ; 

 leaves coarsely toothed. Menzies' Spirea (231) — Spircea 

 M^nziesi. 

 O. Leaves usually with whitish or brownish hairs beneath ; flowers 

 bright pink, July-Sept.; shrubs to G or 8 feet with brown hairy 

 branches. (Q.) 

 Q. Leaves narrow and acute at both ends. Billard's Spirea 



(232) — Spirsea Billardii. 



Q. Leaves broader and rounded at ends. Douglas' Spirea 



(233) — Spirsea Douglasi. 



Q. Leaves with brownish hairs beneath. Hardhack or Steeple 

 Bush (234) — Spirsea tomentosa. 

 Of this last there is a white-flowered variety (alba). 

 O. Leaves broad and decidedly lobed, more or less hairy below ; 

 flowers creamy-white, small in very large panicles. A peculiar 

 plant which has been called by several different names. Shrub to 

 20 feet. Hardy with protection to Massachusetts. Very variable. 

 July. White Beam-leaved Spirea (235) — Schizonotus dis- 

 color. 



Physocarpus. Ninebark (236) — Physocarpus opulif olius — is an ex- 

 cellent shrub, usually considered a Spiraea, 6 to 8 feet high with 

 beautiful foliage, flowers and fruit. It takes its name from the layers of 

 gray bark which readily peel off from the stems. It has simple alternate 

 somewhat lobed leaves, white spirea-like flowers (in June) and five 

 slightly united bladdery pods which turn purple in late summer and till 

 fall. There is a variety with golden foliage in the spring, bronzy later in 

 the season, Golden Ninebark (237) — liitea or aurea. A dwarf form with 

 darker, smaller and fowor-lobed leaves is Ucina. 



This is an eastern American species and probably the common one in cul- 



