''Sorbaria sorbifolia'', the false spiraea, is a species of flowering plant in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are '' Alchemilla'' (270), '' Sorbu ...

. The common name is also spelled false spirea. Other common names include false goat's beard, sorb-leaved schizonotus, Ural false spirea, and in . A

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...

shrub reaching , it bears compound, alternate, toothed leaflets which have been compared to

ferns A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

sumac Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Ea ...

. The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''sorbifolia'' means “with leaves like ''Sorbus'' (mountain ash). In good light the leaves may redden in the autumn before falling. The flowers, appearing in July and August, are white and showy, clustered at the end of the branches. ''Sorbaria sorbifolia'' grows naturally in temperate areas of Asia including Siberia, the Far East of Russia, northern China, Japan and Korea. It has been introduced as a garden ornamental elsewhere into Europe and North America. The compact

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

‘Sem’, with multicoloured leaves in shades of yellow, bronze and red, has more erect panicles of flowers than the species. It has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

References

Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Taxa named by Alexander Braun sorbifolia Flora of China Flora of Japan Flora of Korea Flora of Russia {{Amygdaloideae-stub