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FACT SHEET: JAPANESE SPIRAEA

Japanese Spiraea 

Spiraea japonica L. f. 

Rose family (Rosaceae) 

NATIVE RANGE 

Japan, Korea and China 

DESCRIPTION 

Japanese spiraea, also called Japanese meadowsweet, is a perennial, 

deciduous shrub that grows to 4 or sometimes 6 feet in height and about the 

same in width. It has slender erect stems that are brown to reddish-brown, 

round in cross-section and sometimes hairy. The leaves are generally eggshaped, 1-3 inches long, have toothed margins and alternate along the stem. 

Clusters of attractive, rosy-pink flowers are borne at the tips of branches. 

Seeds, measuring about 1/10 inch in length, are contained in small lustrous capsules. Japanese spiraea is naturally 

variable in form and there are many varieties of it in the horticultural trade. 

ECOLOGICAL THREAT 

Japanese spiraea can rapidly take over disturbed areas. Growing populations creep into meadows, forest openings, and 

other sites. Once established, spiraea grows rapidly and forms dense stands that outcompete much of the existing native 

herbs and shrubs. Seeds of Japanese spiraea last for many years in the soil, making its control and the restoration of 

native vegetation especially difficult. 

DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES 

Japanese spiraea is now naturalized throughout much of the Northeast, 

Southeast and Midwest. 

HABITAT IN THE UNITED STATES 

Japanese spiraea is adapted to disturbed areas, tolerates a wide range of soil 

conditions and grows in full sun to partial shade. It is commonly found growing 

along streams and rivers, forest edges, roadsides, and in successional fields 

and power line right-of-ways. 

BACKGROUND 

Japanese spiraea was introduced into the United States as an ornamental 

landscape plant and first cultivated in the northeastern states around 1870. 

BIOLOGY & SPREAD 

A single Japanese spiraea plant produces hundreds of small seeds that are naturally dispersed by water and deposited 

along stream banks. Seeds may also be carried in fill dirt and establish new populations in the highly disturbed soil of 

construction sites. 

MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 

Cutting or mowing Japanese spiraea shrubs may be effective for small, initial populations or for environmentally sensitive 

areas where herbicides cannot be used. Repeated mowing or cutting will control the spread of spiraea, but will probably 

not eradicate it. 

Spiraea resprouts after cutting, making repeated cutting necessary to exhaust the plants energy reserves. Stems should 

be cut at least once per growing season, prior to seed production, and cut as close to ground level as possible. 
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Chemical: Foliar herbicide applications should be considered for large thickets of Japanese spiraea where the risk to nontarget plants is determined to be minimal. Applications may be made almost any time of year, as long as the air 

temperature is above 65oF, to ensure absorption of the chemical by the plant. Apply a 2% solution of glyphosate (e.g., 

Roundup® or Rodeo®) or triclopyr (Garlon®) and water plus a 0.5% non-ionic surfactant to thoroughly wet all leaves. Use 

low pressure and a coarse spray pattern to reduce spray-drift to non-target species. 

NOTE: Glyphosate is a non-selective systemic herbicide that may kill even partially sprayed plants. Triclopyr is a 

selective for broadleaf species. In areas where desirable grasses are growing under or around spiraea, triclopyr 

can be used without damage to the grasses. 

USE PESTICIDES WISELY: Always read the entire pesticide label carefully, follow all mixing and application instructions and wear all 

recommended personal protective gear and clothing. Contact your state department of agriculture for any additional pesticide use 

requirements, restrictions or recommendations. 

NOTICE: mention of pesticide products on this page does not constitute endorsement of any material.

CONTACT 

For more information on the management of Japanese spiraea, please contact: 

• Kris Johnson, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN 

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PLANTS 

Some suitable native alternatives for Japanese spiraea include shrubs like sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), arrowwood 

(Viburnum dentatum), Summersweet clethra (Clethra alnifolia),Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), silky dogwood (Cornus 

amomum), inkberry (Ilex glabra), pinxterbloom azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides), and sweetbay magnolia 

(Magnolia virginica). You may wish to contact the native plant society in your state for more assistance. 

OTHER LINKS 

• http://www.invasive.org/search/action.cfm?q=Spiraea%20japonica

AUTHOR 

Tom Remaley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN 

EDITOR

Jil M. Swearingen, National Park Service, Washington, DC 

REFERENCES 

Carter, J. 1993. Spiraea. The Iowa Review 23(1):57-61. 

Chamberlain, S. 1983. Hedges, screens and espaliers - how to select, grow and enjoy. Tucson, AZ: HP Books, 163. 

Dirr, M.A. 1986. Spiraeas of the japonica group are summer garden aristocrats. American Nurseryman 163:54-56. 

Dirr, M.A. 1990. Manual of woody landscape plants: their identification, ornamental characteristics, culture, propagation 

and uses. Stipes Publishing Co. Pp. 803-805. 

Gleason, H.A., A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 2nd ed. 

The New York Botanical Garden, 910 . 

Gorbunov, V.D., V.I. Sheichenko, A.I. Ban'kovskii. 1976. A new alkaloid from Spiraea japonica. Chemical Natural 

Compound 12(1):119-120. 

Komazaki, S. 1983. Overwintering of the spiraea aphid, Aphis citricola Van der Goot (Homoptera: Aphididae) on citrus 

and spiraea plants. Applied Entomology Zoology 18(3): 301-307. 
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Plant Conservation Alliance®s Alien Plant Working Group 

Xeeds HoneXild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas 

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Marczynski, S., L.S. Jankiewicz. 1978. The effect of controlled temperature and humidity on the effectiveness of chemical 

defoliation of Ligustrum vulgare L. and Spiraea bumalda Burv. Shrubs. Acta Agrobotany 31(1⁄2):181-193. 

Marczynski, S. 1977. The chemical defoliation to aid transplantation of Ligustrum vulgare L. and Spiraea X arguta Zab. 

Shrubs in nursery. Acta Agrobotany 30(1):103-119. 

Ogle, D.W. 1991. Spiraea virginiana Britton: I. Delineation and distribution. Castanea 56(4):287-296. 

Ogle, D.W. 1991. Spiraea virginiana Britton: II. Ecology and species biology. Castanea 56(4):297-303. 

Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of vascular flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of 

North Carolina Press, 1183. 

Rehder, A. 1986. Manual of cultivated trees and shrubs. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press, 996. 

Swanson, R.E. 1994. A field guide to the trees and shrubs of the southern Appalachians. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins 

University Press, 399. 

Swearingen, J. 2009. WeedUS Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States: Japanese Spiraea 

(Spiraea japonica). http://www.invasive.org/weedus/subject.html?sub=3076. 

USDA, NRCS. 2009. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 

70874-4490 USA. 

Wiesner, M.B. 1994. Virginia spiraea. American Horticulturist 73 (August 1994): 9. 

Williamson, M.A.; Bernard, E.C. 1988. Life cycle of a new species of Blumeriella (Ascomycotina: Dermateaceae), a leafspot pathogen of Spiraea. Canadian Journal of Botany 66(10): 2048-2054.