Dig into Plants: Virginia Sweetspire
Virginia Sweetspire Other Common Names: Virginia Sweetspire, Itea, Virginia Sweet Spire, Virginia Willow, Tassel-white Scientific Name: Itea virginica Native to Alabama: Yes |
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Ecological Benefits |
This plant provides food for: | |||
Butterflies | Other Pollinators | Native Bees | |
Hummingbirds | Other Birds | ||
It is great for controlling erosion, particularly on the banks of creeks, rivers, and lakes due to its tendency to colonize and form thickets by suckering. |
Habitat Requirements | |||
This plant prefers: | |||
(2-6 hours of sun per day) |
Prefers moist to wet soils at all times
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Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Acidic, or Moist Soil |
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Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification | ||||
LEAF DESCRIPTION |
Wikimedia
Famartin Click on image to enlarge it |
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Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF) | ||||
Shape: Elliptic |
Margin: Serrate |
Arrangement: Alternate |
Form: Simple |
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Description: | ||||
Dark green; 1-4" long and 1 1/4" wide; glabrous (smooth) above and can be slightly pubescent (hairy) below; turn varying shades of red, orange and gold in autumn until early winter but are completely shed when temperatures fall below 15 to 20 ° F; stems can be green to dark burgundy |
FLOWER DESCRIPTION | ||||
Flower Shapes Chart (JPG) | ||||
Color: White |
Shape:
Stellate |
Bloom Months: Mar - Jun |
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Description: | ||||
3-6-inch long bottlebrush-like clusters of fragrant, tiny, showy white flowers with 5 petals that droop with the arching branches; flowers open from base to tip so that the plant appears to bloom for a long time; flower buds will be produced on the current season’s shoots by the end of summer and will open in spring of the following year |
SEED DESCRIPTION |
Wikimedia
Omar Hoftun Click on image to enlarge it |
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Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod |
Description: The fruit is a woody, hairy, slim, cylindrical capsule about 1/3-inch long containing small, dark seeds |
Months in Seed: Fall |
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Plant spreads by: | |||
Seeds and suckers (sprout of new growth at the root or base of the plant) Produces new plants from suckers that emerge from laterally growing roots, can become quite dense. |
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS
Quick Fact Sheet (Condensed Species Info) |
Plant ID Sign: Ready as-is PDF |
Plant ID Sign: Editable Word Doc |
QR Code (Links to this Webpage) |
INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT