Thunberg's Meadowsweet

Spiraea thunbergii

Found in roadsides, old homesites. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: 3–5 feet
Spread: 3–5 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

See native alternatives

Spiraea thunbergii — whole plant photograph — (c) Jiro Iguchi, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

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Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Pink or white.
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Sun: Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to average. Flowers: White.
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Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Dry to moist. Flowers: White.
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At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: March to May
Fruiting season: April to October

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Recorded in 14 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

40CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Spiraea

Acronicta noctivagaNight-Wandering Dagger, Burglar Dagger
Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
Automeris ioIo Moth
Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller

Show all 40

Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
Euchlaena irrariaLeast-Marked Euchlaena
Euchlaena johnsonariaJohnson's Euchlaena
Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
Euchlaena serrataThe Saw-Wing
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Glena cognatariaBlueberry Gray
Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Metarranthis duariaRuddy Metarranthis
Metarranthis obfirmariaYellow-Washed Metarranthis
Morrisonia evictaBicolored Woodgrain
Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Pero morrisonariaMorrison's Pero
Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Rheumaptera prunivorataFerguson's Scallop Shell, Cherry Scallop Shell
Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
Smerinthus jamaicensisTwin-Spotted Sphinx
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Spiraea

Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Rosaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4a–8b
Flower color: White
Fruit begins: April
Fruit ends: October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “March to May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “White” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Fruit begins · “April” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
primary_flower_color · “white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “3–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Thunbergs Meadowsweet; Thunbergs Spiraea

Conservation status

Alabama rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source