Meadowsweet
Spirea latifolia
Family Rosaceae

Characteristics:
* Flowers pale pink or white, in a spike-like cluster at the end of the branch.
* Leaves coarsely toothed, hairless underneath, unlike the similar Steeplebush, which has woolly undersides.
* Stem reddish or brownish, not woolly.
* Height: 1-4'.

Natural History:
* Flowers June - September.
* Habitat: Old fields, meadows, roadsides, and low ground.
* Range: Southeastern Canada and northeastern United States.
* Native.

Connections!
* Some insects that feed on the nectar of meadowsweet flowers include bumblebees and spring azure butterfly caterpillars. White-tailed deer feed on the twigs.

* The name Meadowsweet has its origin not in the word 'meadow', but in 'mead-wort', because the flowers of a similar species were once used to flavor mead, or honey wine.

* Meadowsweet leaves have also been used in tea and as a tonic treatment for intestinal problems, and the plant was once strewn across the floors of homes.