n.
Variant: or spi · raea
Pronunciation: sp ī - ' r ē - ə
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin Spiraea, from Latin, a plant, from Greek speiraia
Date: 1669
1 : any of a genus ( Spiraea ) of deciduous shrubs of the rose family with small usually white or pink flowers in dense racemes, corymbs, cymes, or panicles
2 : any of several garden plants resembling spireas especially : a shrub ( Astilbe japonica ) of the saxifrage family