Anthony Waterer Spirea, Dwarf Red Spirea               sp-i-REE-a ja-PON-i-ka

• Deciduous shrub, 2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m), wider than tall.  Leaves alternate, simple, oval-lanceolate, 2.5-7.5 cm long, reddish-brown when new then bluish-green, a small fraction of leaves are variegated or entirely white (leaf chimera), leaves may turn russet-red in fall.   Blooms in summer.  Flowers are deep pink to reddish, borne in 10-15 cm flat-topped clusters (corymbs).
• Hardy to USDA Zone 4      Derived from S. japonica 'Bumalda' and introduced in 1875.  Dirr (1998) thinks there are many forms of this cultivar, some of which do not develop variegated leaves.