Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center

Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)

Virginia sweeitspire – Overall

OVERALL APPEARANCE
Photo courtesy to Monica Marcelli.

sweetspire – leaf

LEAF DETAIL
Photo courtesy to Monica Marcelli.

sweetspire – flower

FLOWER DETAIL
Photo courtesy to Monica Marcelli.

sweetspire – fruit

IMMATURE FRUIT
Photo courtesy to Monica Marcelli.

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Taxonomy

Family: Iteaceae 

Genus: Itea 

Species: Itea virginica  

Common names:

  • Virginia sweetspire
  • Virginia Willow
  • Tassel-white
  • Virginia-tea
  • Sweetspire
Morphology

Type: small deciduous shrub  

Size:  1.5 m in height (Itea virginica, n.d.) 

Leaves: alternate, simple, oval become reddish in the fall (Itea virginica, n.d.)  

Flowers: its white cream fragrant small flowers form a raceme that blooms in June to July (Itea virginica, n.d.) 

Fruit: brown, with brown seeds 

Growth and Attributes

Reproduction:  sexual via pollinators (pollinators are primarily bees)  

Habitat: low altitude woods, wetland margins.   

Distribution: Southeast U.S. See: USDA Distribution Map  

Cultivation: ideal conditions are clay moist rich well drained humusy soil.   However, it tolerates a wide range of soil types, drought and heavy shade.  It requires medium to wet watering, full sun to part shade (Itea virginica. (2023; USDA, NRCS.  2014; Itea virginica, n.d.).   

I. virginica leaf and immature fruit. A mealybug, a common pest, has made a white, silky-like web close to the leaf apex. Photo courtesy to Monica Marcelli.

Conservation status: apparently secure  

Uses: ornamental, pollinator’s shelter, erosion control, hedges, naturalize (Itea virginica, n.d.) 

Ecosystem value:   pollinator’s shelter (Itea virginica, n.d.) 

Human uses: ornamental, erosion control, hedges, naturalize (Itea virginica, n.d.) 

Unique Characteristics: It resists temperatures of -15C and erosion. Former classification under the Grossulariaceae or Saxifragaceae families (Itea virginica, n.d.)  

Wetland plant status:  there are 2 wetland regions in VA:  

  • Mountains and Piedmonts and Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain. 
  • Virginia sweetspire facultative wetland (FACW) for the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain and obligate (OBL) for the Mountains and Piedmonts.   
Recommended Reading

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) listing     

Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora species distribution map   

References

Itea virginica. (2023, April 13). In Wikipedia.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itea_virginica   

Itea virginica L. Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora. http://vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=2610&search=Search 

Itea virginica L. in GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-20. 

Itea virginica.  Missouri Botanica Garden. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286893 

Itea virginica. (n.d.)  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.   https://wetland-plants.sec.usace.army.mil/nwpl_static/v34/species/species.html?DET=001100# 

USDA, NRCS.  2014. Itea virginica L. Virginia sweetspire. United States Department of Agriculture  https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/  https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=ITVI 

Coauthored by Monica Marcelli & Adrian Hagarty, 2023.