A shrub that is easily mistaken for a wildflower, Meadowsweet is a common plant in the Northeast. It has clusters of dry fruit, each a tiny pod arranged in groups of five, at the twig tips. There are three other species of Spirea that can be mistaken for Meadowsweet. Spirea tomentosa, Hardhack, has shorter, more narrowly spaced branches and fuzzy stems and fruits. Spirea alba, also called Meadowsweet, has the same branching of latifolia but hairy stems. Spirea corymbosa is found farther south and has fruits that grow in a flat-topped cluster.

BUDS: Short and hairless.

TWIGS: Slender and wandlike; reddish; hairless

HABITAT: Damp meadows, fields, swamps in the Northeast.