Abstract Spiraea plants showing symptoms of virus infection were investigated using high-throughput sequencing which resulted in the identification of two novel viruses: an emaravirus named Spiraea chlorotic leaf spot distortion virus (SCLSDV), and an alphacytorhabdovirus named Spiraea alphacytorhabdovirus 1 (SpCRV-1). The complete genome of SCLSDV comprises four RNA segments, each encoding a distinct protein: RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, glycoprotein precursor, nucleocapsid protein, and moveme