Subalpine Spiraea
Spiraea splendens Baumann ex K. Koch The Rose Family–Rosaceae
(spy-REE-uh SPLEN-dens)
Names: The word Spiraea comes from a Greek plant that was commonly used for garlands. This species is also known as Spiraea densiflora. Splendens means shiny, densiflora means dense flowers. Subalpine Spiraea is also known as Rosy Spirea, or Rose or Mountain Meadowsweet.
Relationships: There are about 80-100 species of spiraea in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere-the majority in eastern Asia. Many are grown for ornamental landscaping and there are several cultivated varieties, mostly of the Japanese species.
Distribution of Subalpine Spiraea from USDA Plants Database
Distribution: It is found from southern British Columbia in the Olympic and Cascade Mountain Ranges to the Sierras in California and Nevada; eastward to the Rocky Mountains, Alberta, Idaho & Montana & Wyoming.
Growth: Subalpine Spiraea grows 2-3 feet (60-90cm)
Habitat: It is found in moist meadows, on streambanks, and open, rocky slopes.
Diagnostic Characters: This species has round to oval (toothed near the end), shiny, bright-green leaves; reddish-purple bark; and flat-topped clusters of pink to purplish flowers.
In the Landscape: Subalpine Spirea, with its bright pink flowers, is an attractive addition to the landscape. Flowers are sweetly scented, reminiscent of cloves. It is especially useful when a smaller shrub is desired. It has great potential for mixing with Shinyleaf Spiraea in borders or foundation plantings.
Phenology: Bloom time: June-August.
Propagation: A 60-75 day cold, moist stratification. of seeds is recommended. Cuttings also are also possible.
Use by People: Flowering stems were used as paint brushes, especially on the large spaces of teepees by the Blackfoot.
Use by Wildlife: Subalpine spiraea is considered a poor forage species and also does not provide good cover. But is possibly a good species for pollinators such as butterflies.
Links:
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria
WTU Herbarium Image Collection, Plants of Washington, Burke Museum
E-Flora BC, Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia
Jepson Eflora, University of California
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plants Network, Propagation Protocol Database
Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan, Dearborn
Spiraea lucida Douglas ex Greene
Growth: Shinyleaf Spiraea grows only to about 1-3 ft. (30-90 cm). It spreads by rhizomes and often grows in large colonies.
Pyramidal Spiraea, Spiraea x pyramidata, is a naturally occurring hybrid of S. betulifolia (lucida) and S. douglasii. It is intermediate to both of its parents, growing 4-5 feet (130-160cm) with flowers in pyramidal clusters, white to pale pink.
Names: The word Spiraea comes from a Greek plant that was commonly used for garlands. Douglas Spiraea is named after David Douglas. It is also commonly known as Hardhack, Steeplebush, or as Western, Pink or Rose Spiraea. There are two recognized varieties, var. douglasii, which has grayish wooly hairs on the undersides of its leaves; and var. menziesii, (sometimes known as S. menziesii) which has smooth or only slightly hairy leaves.
Habitat: Douglas Spiraea grows in open areas of wet meadows, bogs, streambanks, and lake margins. Labrador Tea, Ledum groenlandicum, is often a companion of Douglas Spiraea in bogs. It can withstand drier periods in areas that are only seasonally wet. Wetland designation: FACW, It usually occurs in wetlands, but is occasionally found in non-wetlands.
In landscapes: Douglas Spiraea is especially useful in Rain Gardens, but care should be taken not to introduce it to an area where it is likely to overtake other desirable plants. It is a good choice for revegetation projects along streamsides. Its attractive purplish-pink flower plumes create a “sea of pink” in “Hardhack bogs” when in bloom.
Names: Physo means bladder, carpus means fruit, referring to the inflated fruits. Capitatus means having a head, referring to its dense flower or fruit cluster. Ninebarks are so called because it was believed there are nine layers (or nine strips) of peeling bark on the stems. In the past it has been lumped in with P. opulifolia, Common Ninebark (an eastern species); along with this species, it was also known as Opulaster capitatus and Neillia opulifolia, Opulaster and opulifolia mean rich in flowers (asters) or in leaves (folia)–they may also refer to its similarity to Viburnum opulus. Because of its close association to spiraeas, it has also been known as Spiraea capitata. Western Ninebark is another common name.
Propagation: Pacific Ninebark is easy to start from cuttings, or live stakes (direct planting of a cutting into its desired location). Seed propagation is possible, but much slower. Fall is the best time to sow the seeds, although many sources state that it does not require a stratification period.
Diagnostic Characters: Its leaves are bright green in spring, lance-shaped, and entire (not toothed); and smell like cucumber when crushed. Small, five-lobed flowers are born in drooping clusters, usually appearing before the leaves. Each flower is white with a green calyx. They are said to have an unusual fragrance 
“something between watermelon rind and cat urine.” Others compare it to almonds. Some sources report that the female flowers have a pleasant fragrance, but the male flowers are unpleasant. The fruit are like small plums. Immature fruit is peach-colored, mature fruit is purple or bluish-black. Since Indian Plum is dioecious, you need to a have a female plant with nearby males for it to bear fruit. In natural populations, there are usually more males than females, due to a higher mortality of females. Males often flower at an earlier age than females; females have a slower growth rate.
Holodiscus discolor (Pursh.) Maxim
Diagnostic Characters: Oceanspray can be recognized by its alternate, oval to triangular leaves with lobed or coarsely and doubly toothed margins. The green, upper surface of the leaves can be smooth or coarsely-hairy; the paler, under surface is strongly veined and soft-hairy. Its flowers are white to cream with lilac-like drooping clusters. Seeds are actually wooly achenes (dry, one-seeded fruit) in tiny dry capsules. It usually has several main stems with brownish peeling bark; the ends of the branches arch gracefully outward.
Phenology: Bloom time: June-July. Fruit ripens: Late summer.
Relationships: There are about 20 species of Amelanchier, all shrubs or small trees. Most are native to North America with two in Asia and one in Europe. In some literature, Saskatoon Serviceberry is listed as Amelanchier florida. Notable varieties in the west include var. semiintegrifolia (Douglas, quoted in Hitchcock & Cronquist, writes that it is “plentiful about the Grand Rapids, and at Fort Vancouver, on the Columbia, and on the high ground of the Multnomak (sic) River.;” var. cusickii from the east side of the Cascades has larger flowers; and var. humptulipensis was discovered on the Humptulips Prairie in Grays Harbor County, Washington. Serviceberries hybridize readily making species identification sometimes difficult. Cultivated varieties are grown for larger, sweeter berries, especially in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Growth: Saskatoon Serviceberry grows 3-15 ft. (1-5m) tall, sometimes taller. It is relatively short-lived; most will live about 20 years but some have survived to 85.
Use by People: Natives ate the fruit fresh and dried; some used it to season soup or meat. Some tribes used burning to encourage stands of Saskatoon; it will resprout from the root crown or rhizomes after the top is killed by fire and may fruit again after two years. Interior tribes used the tough wood for arrows, digging sticks, and drying racks. Coastal tribes used it for rigging their halibut lines. The Snohomish used the wood to make discs for a gambling game called slahalem. In early American folklore, the plant’s flowering time signaled pioneers that the ground had thawed enough in spring for the burial of the winter’s dead. Today people use the fruit for making pastries, jellies and syrups.
Growth: Oval-leaved Blueberry grows from 3-9ft. (1-3m), and grows a maximum of 12 inches (30cm) a year.
Diagnostic Characters: The young twigs of Oval-leaved Blueberry are brownish or reddish to yellowish, angled and grooved. Flowers are urn-shaped and pink; they usually appear before or with the oval-shaped leaves. Berries are blue-black with a bluish bloom—very much like commercial blueberries.
Names: Mountain Huckleberry is also known as Thin-leaf Huckleberry (membranaceum = thin, like a membrane). It is also known as Big, Black, or Blue Huckleberry. It is Idaho’s State Fruit.
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Diagnostic Characters: Mountain Huckleberry has thin leaves with finely toothed margins that are pointed at the tip. Flowers are urn-shaped and creamy-pink. The berries are purplish or reddish-black, without a waxy bloom.