Does anyone recognize this low shoreline zone 2-3 shrub

I have this shrub along side my pond. I transplanted it from a local lakeshore. It grows only about 3 ft. tall. The only place I have ever seen it is on the shore of a lake

More details?

Is it evergreen or deciduous? If deciduous, does it provide any evident fall color? Does it ever flower, or set fruit/seed?

Other than simple, alternate, and maybe crenate leaf margins, nothing jumps out at me.

Do you have any native Spiraea sp. up your way? Could be that.

Deciduous but no fall colour change. I have seen a very insignificant red flower similar to what you might see on a birch tree, in fact from my forestry days I remembered there being a water birch so googled that but they have leaves shaped just like a birch, not like this. I have seen a shrub around beaver floods that I would say could be a native Spirea but they have a more significant flower. When the branches come in contact with the water they send out roots like crazy. Bark on older wood is reddish brown with little white dots, similar to an alder or birch.
Keith

Solved by Altagardener. Sweet gale. Thanks viburnum for trying to help.
Keith

You are quite welcome.

There you go - a plant from outside my experience.

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=MYGA

So we all have learned something...

Oh, cool, a form of myrica. I had 14 myrica pennsylvanica at my former home. Loved them to death. Had them hiding our front porch. This particular cultivar got over ten feet tall. Needed acidic soil so I used ironite. Suckered to replace any losses.

Maybe I can grow your plant here, since I don't have room for the big guys.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Donna

I'll bet you saw it by the shoreline because myrica grows in sand! The cultivar I had produces gray berries that are made into candles. But the birds loved them too so they would visit for weeks (because, with 14 plants, there were thousands of berries).

Thank you for a lovely memory.

Yes Donna that is obviously a relative. No berries on this one though, but would be hard to get a better backdrop for the pond. And the best part was it was free.

It's a beautiful little shrub...I was thinking of getting some until I heard the dreaded word "sand." It's almost as bad as that other word, "well-drained." :-)
I live in the land of hardpan clay.

Mine are in clay. They are adjacent to the pond but of course they are planted outside the liner. The only way they would be getting extra water is through the roots that the branches that hit the water are sending down. They have been there for many years and they have just recently become beautiful and I suppose that is why. Until their branches hit the water they were probably too dry
Keith

Momlady, fear not. Mine were in hardpan on top of clay. The plants thrived from the beginning. I think ph matters, but not soil. Inf act, they were also in the gravel along my house foundation. Gravel on top if hardpan on top of clay. And still they thrived!

Donna

oxdrift and AltaGargener, that's awesome, thank you! And to put the icing on the cake, it's a native ( I want plenty of native plants so I can support the wildlife living here). I will get some as soon as I can find it.

DonnaMack:

You are officially chopped liverwort...

Does it have scented foliage? Myrica gale does, delightfully so.

Resin

I really like it, especially if the foliage is scented!
I also like liverwort...

Oh, my goodness.

Actually myrica smells like bayberry candles. Because the waxy berries are used for it. Rather like Bay leaf.

Liverwort?!!!!

I saw a similar plant in northern California. Same wonderful scent.

Oh it's native here in my county too.
I LOVE the USDA Plants Database. I don't mind paying taxes for it.
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=MYGA