Itea virginica

Virginia sweetspire is in the Iteaceae family and is a broad-spreading deciduous shrub with arching branches growing to 2.5 m tall and 1.5 m broad.

It is a multi-stemmed, suckering and colonizing plant, with the stems branching infrequently except at the tops.

• Leaves are simple, alternate, oval, dark green, 2.5–10 cm long on arching stems, turning a varying shades of red, orange and gold in autumn.
• A feature is its fragrant, tiny white flowers borne in cylindrical, drooping racemes 7.5–15 cm long, covering the shrub with bloom in late spring to early summer.