I. spiraea
variant of spirea
II. spi·raea spīˈrēə noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, a plant, perhaps privet, from Greek speiraia, perhaps from speira coil — more at spire
: a large genus of shrubs (family Rosaceae) that are natives of temperate regions and have small perfect white or pink flowers in dense racemes, corymbs, cymes, or panicles each with five pistils which are alternate with the persistent calyx lobes and which ripen into follicles — see hardhack , meadowsweet