Native to moist soils from New Jersey to East Texas. 6-inch racemes that abundantly cover the shrub. Leaves are simple, alternate, oblong to almost linear. Fall color can range from true red to red-orange. The shrub's bark is brown or gray and forms scales with age.
Young stems are smooth and green.
It typically grows to be 3-5 feet tall with a width greater than its height, but some specimens have grown to 10 feet. Sweetspire transplants easily from containers. For a larger shrub, the plant can be divided at the roots and replanted separately. Plants in the landscape that are not pruned will mound and spread into a thicket. Four propagation options I. virginica grows wild from New Jersey to East Texas.