Spiraea alba

Spiraea alba
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Spiraea
Species:	S. alba
Binomial name
Spiraea alba

Spiraea alba, commonly known as narrowleaf meadowsweet, pale bridewort, or pipestem, grows on wet soils of the Allegheny Mountains and other portions of eastern North America.

Narrowleaf meadowsweet shrubs often reach 8 feet in height. This species is often the most conspicuous part of the vegetation in its habitat, taking up large areas of ground. Its leaves are oblong or lance-shaped, and toothed on the edges, and its twigs are tough and yellowish brown. The white flowers grow in spikelike clusters at the ends of the branches, blooming from early summer through September.

The hollow, upright stems were used historically as pipe stems.

See also

• Pipestem Resort State Park
• Cranberry Glades