Spiraea sargentiana Rehd.

A deciduous shrub 4 to 6 ft high, with long, slender, arching, round young shoots, at first downy, soon glabrous. Leaves narrowly oval to narrowly obovate, wedge-shaped and entire at the base, more or less toothed towards the tip, 1⁄2 to 1 in. long, 1⁄8 to 1⁄2 in. wide, dull green above, paler and downy beneath, the few veins running lengthwise; stalk 1⁄16 to 1⁄8 in. long. Flowers creamy white, 1⁄4 in. wide, produced during June in rounded clusters 1 to 13⁄4 in. wide that terminate short leafy twigs springing from the virgin shoots of the previous year; main and secondary flower-stalks downy.

Native of W. China; discovered and introduced by Wilson in 1908–9. In its graceful habit, small leaves and mode of flowering this resembles the well-known S. canescens which can be distinguished by its ribbed stems. It is also closely related to S. henryi, which has much larger but similarly toothed leaves. S. sargentiana is a distinctly pretty shrub, perfectly hardy and well worth cultivation. It received an Award of Merit in 1913.