spirea

noun

spi·​rea spī-ˈrē-ə 

variants or spiraea

1

: any of a genus (Spiraea) of deciduous shrubs of the rose family with small usually white or pink flowers in dense racemes, corymbs, cymes, or panicles

2

: any of several garden plants resembling spireas

especially : a shrub (Astilbe japonica) of the saxifrage family

Examples of spirea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Japanese spirea, birchleaf spirea, and bumalda spirea are popular members of the summer-flowering group. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2024

How to Prune Summer-Flowering Spirea Summer-flowering spireas begin blooming in early summer and continue flowering sporadically until frost. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2024

Incorporate lilac, lavender, and spirea to provide high value nutrition from May through September. —Peter Gorman, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2024

For white flowers, consider spirea, peonies, star jasmine, and viburnum. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Spiraea, from Latin, a plant, from Greek speiraia

First Known Use

1669, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

spirea

noun

spi·​rea

variants or spiraea

spī-ˈrē-ə 

: any of a genus of shrubs related to the roses and having small usually white or pink flowers in dense clusters