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Steeplebush

Spiraea tomentosa

Found in bogs, wet meadows. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

68
Strong

Native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
2–4 feet
Spread
3–5 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 4 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 6 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Summer
Fruiting season
September to October

County records are not available.

Natural habitats

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

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

All habitats

Care

  • Keep the soil moist.
  • Optional bloom tip: Removing faded flower clusters can encourage more blooms.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

37CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · 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
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
Show all 37
  • Euchlaena johnsonariaJohnson's Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
  • 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 hypochrariaCommon 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
  • 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)
6BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Spiraea

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist 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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rosaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Pink or purple
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Hardhack

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSH
Global rankG5
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources