Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Saxifragales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Itea virginica
FAMILY
Iteaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Virginia Sweetspire from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Itea virginica
FAMILY
Grossulariaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Itea virginica
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 094-01-001:
Itea virginica FAMILY Saxifragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Itea virginica
COMMON NAME:
Virginia Sweetspire, Virginia-willow
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Keith Bradley kab_itea_virginica_73585
March Collier County FL
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park
)
JK Marlow jkm160416_265
April Lowndes County GA
)
JK Marlow jkm160416_268
April Lowndes County GA
)
JK Marlow jkm160416_270
April Lowndes County GA
)
Mark A. Musselman mam_virginiawillo042606d
April Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm080601_001
May Greenville County SC
Stigma capitate, styles fused at anthesis and separate in fruit, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm080601_005
May Greenville County SC
Five white petals, five inserted stamens, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm100514_098
May Greenville County SC
Ashmore Heritage Preserve
Leaf margins toothed throughout vs. Clethra alnifolia's only on upper blade, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
COMPARE
leaves of Clethra and Itea
)
JK Marlow jkm190506_8210
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Itea provides invaluable erosion control by a creek, per Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020).
)
JK Marlow jkm190506_8211
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm210907_3577
September Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm210907_3579
September Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm210907_3580
September Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Cylindric capsules 2-grooved, beaked with swollen pistil, within persistent calyx, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm221004_0234
October Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm081110_011
November Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
'Henry's Garnet'
)
JK Marlow jkm211116_4969
November Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm211116_5006
November Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Itea virginica
FAMILY
Iteaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Itea virginica
FAMILY
Grossulariaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Itea virginica
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 094-01-001:
Itea virginica
FAMILY
Saxifragaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Itea virginica
768
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: Moist forests and thickets, especially along the banks of streams, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in Mountains)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
Radially symmetrical
5-lobed calyx with cup-shaped tube
5 petals
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p141
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p354
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p097
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p250
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p439
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p115
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p060
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p062
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p123
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p101
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p228
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p110
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p141
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p37
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p289
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p176
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p239
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