Spiraea douglasii

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Spiraea
Species:
S. douglasii
Binomial name
Spiraea douglasii
Synonyms[2]
  • Drimopogon douglasii (Hook.) B.D.Jacks.
  • Drimopogon menziesii (Hook.) B.D.Jacks.
  • Spiraea fulvescens auct.

Spiraea douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the rose family native to western North America. Common names include hardhack,[3] hardhack steeplebush, Douglas' spirea,[4] douglasspirea,[4] steeplebush,[4] and rose spirea.[5]

Description

Spiraea douglasii is a woolly shrub growing 0.91–1.83 metres (3–6 feet) tall from rhizomes, forming dense riverside thickets.[6]

The leaves are 2.5–10.2 centimetres (1–4 inches) long and toothed toward the tips. They are alternately arranged, and the undersides are whitish with prominent veins.

Large clusters of small, deep pink flowers form spires in early summer, later turning dark and persisting. The seeds are 2 millimetres (1⁄16 in) long and are dispersed by animals and strong winds.

Distribution and habitat

The plant is native to western North America from Alaska across southwestern Canada and the Pacific Northwest. It has spread to many other places as an invasive species. It was introduced to Europe as early as 1803, and is considered to be especially invasive in Denmark and Latvia.[7] It is also found in France, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and Poland.[8][9][10]

It occurs most often in riparian habitat types, such as swamps, streambanks, bogs and mudflats.[6] It grows best on moist or semiwet soils with good drainage. It tolerates a variety of soil types as well as gravelly substrates.

Spirea is shade-intolerant, and therefore grows primarily in open marshes among sedges, horsetails, wild blueberries, and other swamp flora,[6] as well as in seral communities.[3]

Ecology

Spirea foliage is browsed by black-tailed deer, but is not very palatable to livestock and only eaten by them occasionally. [3] The flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds, and small birds eat the seeds which persist into the winter when food is less plentiful.[11]

Spirea provides nesting habitat for birds such as marsh wrens, and is a component of grizzly bear habitat.[3]

It is moderately fire-resistant, as many of the marshes across its native range would historically dry up by midsummer and be susceptible to fire. If the above-ground portion of the plant is killed, it can sprout from the stem base or rhizomes after a wildfire.[3]

It may hybridize with white spirea (S. betulifolia) to form pyramid spirea (S. x pyramidata Greene).[3]

As an invasive species, the species decreases biodiversity, colonizing wetlands with dense monocultural thickets to the detriment of other plants.[8][9][10]

Uses

Native Americans found used the plant for making brooms and hanging seafood to cook.[12]

The plant is used as an ornamental in landscaping, where it grows best in sunny, moist places. Spirea is recommended for riparian revegetation projects in the Pacific Northwest, as it is hardy and grows quickly.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Spiraea Douglasii". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  2. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Spiraea douglasii". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  4. 1 2 3 "Spiraea douglasii". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  5. ↑ USDA Plants Profile
  6. 1 2 3 US Forest Service Fire Ecology
  7. ↑ "EPPO Global Database". gd.eppo.int. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  8. 1 2 "Spiraea douglasii". AlterIAS. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  9. 1 2 Weber, Ewald; Gut, Daniel (December 2004). "Assessing the risk of potentially invasive plant species in central Europe". Journal for Nature Conservation. 12 (3): 171–179. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2004.04.002.
  10. 1 2 "Invasive Alien Species in Belgium: Spiraea douglasii". ias.biodiversity.be. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  11. ↑ "Spirea/Hardhack - The North Creek Wetland - UW Bothell". www.uwb.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  12. ↑ Spiraea douglasii. Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan, Dearborn.

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