Spiraea prunifolia (bridalwreath spirea, "Shijimibana")

Japanese name: シジミバナ （蜆花）
Scientific name: Spiraea prunifolia

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 1–2 m tall.
Young branches are brown and densely covered with short soft hairs.
The branches are slender and arch out long.
The leaves are simple and alternate, elliptical, 2–3.5 cm long and 1.5–2 cm wide.
Both surfaces of the leaves have soft hairs, but the hairs on the upper surface later fall off.
The leaf margins are serrate.
Umbel-like corymbs arise on branches from the previous year, each bearing 4–6 white double flowers 0.8–1 cm across.
The stamens and pistils become petal-like.
The flower stalks are 1.5–4 cm long.

[Uses]
In China, the roots are used as a folk medicine.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division or cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil rich in humus.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes severely dry.
Apply organic fertilizer as fertilizer in winter, and after flowering place slow-release chemical fertilizer on the soil as a thank-you fertilizer.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew and scale insects.

[Notes]
The name compares the shape of the flower to the flesh of a shijimi (freshwater clam).

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