NAT. ORDER. SPIR^ACEvE. 
143 
the leaves are about three inches long, and in the middle about one 
inch broad, bluntly serrate, and of a bright green color ; in rich, 
moist ground, the stalks rise five or six feet high, but in moderate 
land from three to four ; their whole height is one year's growth 
from the root, and are terminated by spikes of pale red or flesh-col- 
ored flowers. It flowers in June and July ; and in moist seasons 
there are frequently young shoots from the root, which flower in 
autumn. It is a native of Siberia. There are several varieties of 
this species : the Flesh-colored Willow-leaved, the Alpine Willow- 
leaved, the Panicled Willow-leaved, and the Broad Willow-leaved 
Spiraea. 
Spirtea tomentosa. Scarlet Spiraea. — This species has the 
stalks slender, and branching out near the ground, with a purple 
bark, covered with a gray mealy down : the leaves are smaller than 
the first, downy and veined on their under side, but of a bright green 
above; the branches are terminated by a thick raceme of flowers 
branched towards the bottom into small spikes ; the flowers are 
very small, of a beautiful red color, appearing in July, August and 
September. It is a native of Pennsylvania. 
SpircEa hypericifolia. Hypericum-leaved Spiraea. — This plant 
rises with several slender shrubby stalks, five or six feet in height, 
covered with a dark brown bark, and sending out small side 
branches the whole length ; the leaves are small, wedge-shaped, 
having many punctures on their surface; the flowers are in small 
sessile umbels, each on a long slender pedicel, and white ; they ap- 
pear in May and June; and as the flowers are produced almost the 
whole length of the branches, it makes a very beautiful appearance 
during the time of flowering. It is a native of Italy and America. 
Spircea argentea. Silver-leaved Spiraea. — This species has 
striated erect branches, with short branchlets ; the leaves are alter- 
nate, petioled, and silky-tomentose on both sides ; the racemes are 
longer than the branchlets ; the flowers are very small, with villose 
germs. It is a native of New Granada. 
