Flower profile
Mountain spirea
Spiraea splendens
Mountain spirea is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Washington it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Washington
Quick look
Spiraea splendens is a shrub of the rose family (Rosaceae) native to the western mountains of North America, from California to British Columbia, commonly known as dense-flowered spiraea, rose meadowsweet, rosy spiraea, subalpine spiraea, and mountain spiraea. It is commonly found at elevations between 2,000 feet (610 m) and 11,000 feet (3,400 m) on inland mountain ranges.
- It belongs to the Rosaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 7 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Washington. NatureServe
- In Washington, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,951 research-grade sightings of it in Washington, ranking #101 among the 110 flowers on our Washington list. iNaturalist
Mountain spirea gift ideas
Handmade mountain spirea gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Mountain spirea art print
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Mountain spirea greeting card
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Mountain spirea mug
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Mountain spirea earrings
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Mountain spirea embroidery pattern
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Mountain spirea sticker
When does it bloom?
In Washington, most flowering sightings come in June–August.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Washington
- No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Washington.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NV (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records mountain spirea in 7 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming.
Washington counties with USDA records: Chelan, Clallam, Columbia, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Lewis, Mason, Okanogan, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Whatcom, Yakima.
More Washington flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SPSP2.
- iNaturalist, Spiraea splendens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Spiraea splendens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Washington: Washington State noxious weed list (WAC 16-750-005, -011, -015).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Spiraea splendens (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: mark-groeneveld via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.