Native Plant Notes are created by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. To learn more about KNPS and the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, visit www.nativeplantsociety.org.
Birch-leaf Spiraea (Spiraea betulifolia) sometimes spelled Spirea is a small, deciduous shrub native to the Northwestern U.S., east to include the Intermountain West and the Black Hills of South Dakota, as well as southern parts of Canada's western provinces. It is a common understory plant in dry open forests and on east- and south-facing rocky slopes where it enjoys full sun, rich soil and light to moderate moisture.