Iteaceae
Chinese sweetspire
Itea chinensis
- Family
- Iteaceae
- Genus
- Itea
Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants
Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free
Common names
By language (3)
- Chinese
- 鼠刺, 中国拟铁, 大力牛, 老鼠刺, 银牙莲
- English
- Chinese sweetspire
- Vietnamese
- Thử thích
Synonyms
- Itea chinensis f. angustata Y.C.Wu
- Polyosma chinensis (Hook. & Arn.) Walp.
Flowers
- In flower
- April (from 5 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Yj, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Agnes Trekker, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Yj, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Toby Y, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Toby Y, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Aaron Liston, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist ![Chinese sweetspire: 老鼠刺 Itea chinensis [香港嘉道理農場 Kadoorie Farm, Hong Kong]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/%E8%80%81%E9%BC%A0%E5%88%BA_Itea_chinensis_-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%98%89%E9%81%93%E7%90%86%E8%BE%B2%E5%A0%B4_Kadoorie_Farm%2C_Hong_Kong-_%289240222942%29.jpg/500px-%E8%80%81%E9%BC%A0%E5%88%BA_Itea_chinensis_-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%98%89%E9%81%93%E7%90%86%E8%BE%B2%E5%A0%B4_Kadoorie_Farm%2C_Hong_Kong-_%289240222942%29.jpg)
Photo: 阿橋 HQ, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Toby Y, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
![Chinese sweetspire: 老鼠刺 Itea chinensis [香港嘉道理農場 Kadoorie Farm, Hong Kong]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/%E8%80%81%E9%BC%A0%E5%88%BA_Itea_chinensis_-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%98%89%E9%81%93%E7%90%86%E8%BE%B2%E5%A0%B4_Kadoorie_Farm%2C_Hong_Kong-_%289240222942%29.jpg/1280px-%E8%80%81%E9%BC%A0%E5%88%BA_Itea_chinensis_-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%98%89%E9%81%93%E7%90%86%E8%BE%B2%E5%A0%B4_Kadoorie_Farm%2C_Hong_Kong-_%289240222942%29.jpg)
More in Itea
- Virginia sweetspireItea virginicaIteaceae
- Hollyleaf sweetspireItea ilicifoliaIteaceae
- Itea oldhamiiIteaceae
- Itea yunnanensisIteaceae
- Itea amoenaIteaceae
- Itea coriaceaIteaceae
- Itea glutinosaIteaceae
- Itea indochinensisIteaceae
- Itea kiukiangensisIteaceae
- Itea macrophyllaIteaceae
- Itea parvifloraIteaceae
- Itea ripariaIteaceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.