SORBARIA. False spiraea (A bit confusing, since Astilbe also shares this common name). East Asia. A small group of deciduous shrubs in the rose family, much better known in the Northwest than here. They have mostly erect stems, suckering from the base and branched above. The leaves are quite large and feather-like, with many narrow, toothed leaflets. In summer they bear large, openly branched clusters of small white flowers, with conspicuous puffs of stamens, at the shoot tips. The small seed pods which follow are less ornamental than the overall structure of the clusters, which is retained well into winter. Gold to scarlet fall color is still another ornamental feature. S. kirilowii (S. arborea var. glabra) is a smooth-stemmed shrub as much as 20' high (normally less). It has very large leaves, with deep green leaflets up to 4" long and huge pyramidal flower clusters. This is a most unusual shrub, whose habit invites the planting of smaller, flowery things all around. It thrives in sun or light shade and most soils, with moderate watering. Hardy to10^oF or less.