Virginia Spiraea

Spiraea virginiana

Found in riverbanks, riverside shrub thickets, where occasionally flood-scoured. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height: 1 foot 4 inches–8 feet 2 inches
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to wet

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Spiraea virginiana photograph — (c) Clay Gibbons, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

Federally threatened. Excluded from routine garden suggestions. Consult conservation guidance before obtaining or planting this species. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: June to July
Fruiting season: August to September

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 4 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 136 animals.

Swainson's Warbler
Limnothlypis swainsonii
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Birds. 3 shared habitats
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Worm-eating Warbler
Helmitheros vermivorum
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
Birds. 3 shared habitats
Alder Flycatcher
Empidonax alnorum
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Tree Sparrow
Spizella arborea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Black-throated Green Warbler
Dendroica virens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Eurasian Collared-dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Fish Crow
Corvus ossifragus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Northern Waterthrush
Seiurus noveboracensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
Birds. 2 shared habitats

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

65CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Spiraea

Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
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
Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure

Show all 65

Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Clepsis melaleucanusBlack-Patched Clepsis, Trillium Tortrix
Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
Euchlaena effectaEffective Euchlaena
Euchlaena irrariaLeast-Marked Euchlaena
Euchlaena johnsonariaJohnson's Euchlaena
Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
Euchlaena serrataThe Saw-Wing
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Eupithecia misturataInsignificant Pug
Eupithecia satyrataSatyr Pug
Eurois occultaGreat Grey Dart, Great Brocade
Evora hemidesmaSpirea Leaftier
Glena cognatariaBlueberry Gray
Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Lacinipolia loreaBridled Arches, Bridle Groundcat
Lophocampa maculataSpotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
Lycophotia phyllophoraBrick Dart, Leafy Dart
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
Orthosia revictaSubdued Quaker
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
Pseudohermonassa bicarneaPink-Spotted Dart
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Rheumaptera hastataSpear-Marked Black Moth, Spear Mark
Rheumaptera prunivorataFerguson's Scallop Shell, Cherry Scallop Shell
Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
Sicya maculariaSharp-Lined Yellow
Smerinthus jamaicensisTwin-Spotted Sphinx
Sphinx gordiusApple Sphinx
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Xestia normanianusNorman's Dart
Xylena nuperaRed Swordgrass Moth, American Swordgrass Moth, False Armyworm
Acleris macdunnoughi
Olethreutes albiciliana
Olethreutes valdanum

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
Flower color: White
Fruit begins: August
Fruit ends: September

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “June to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “White” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Height · “1 foot 4 inches–8 feet 2 inches” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “white” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Appalachian Meadowsweet; Appalachian Spiraea; Virginia Meadowsweet

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S1
Global rank	G2?
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Threatened (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Conservation source Global rank source Federal status source: US Fish and Wildlife Service

In your garden

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Virginia Spiraea

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Spiraea