''Itea'' is a genus of about 10 species of

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s, commonly called sweetspires. The leaves are alternate. Flowers are small, with 5 sepals and 5 petals, borne in racemes or spikes. The genus is native to eastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, with one deciduous species from eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Some species are grown in ornamental gardens for their long pendant and fragrant flower heads. These include the evergreen ''I. ilicifolia'' and ''I. yunnanensis'' from central and western

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. A different, more upright growing characteristic can be found in the deciduous '' I. virginica'' of eastern North America. Species include: *'' Itea chinensis'' Hook. & Arn. – Chinese sweetspire *'' Itea ilicifolia'' Oliv. – holly-leaved sweet spire *'' Itea japonica'' Oliv. – Japanese sweetspire *'' Itea oldhamii'' C. K. Schneid. *'' Itea parviflora'' Hemsl. *'' Itea rhamnoides'' (Harv.) Kubitzki *''

Itea virginica ''Itea virginica'', commonly known as Virginia willow or Virginia sweetspire, is a small North American flowering shrub that grows in low-lying woods and wetland margins. Virginia willow is a member of the Iteaceae family, and native to the southe ...

'' L. – Virginia sweetspire *'' Itea yunnanensis'' Franch.

References

* European Garden Flora, vol. 4. * Hillier; Manual of Trees and Shrubs. Saxifragales Saxifragales genera {{Saxifragaceae-stub