Scientific name:
Spirea douglasii General: Erect, leggy, much-branched, to 2 m tall; young growth reddish-brown, woolly; often forming thickets.
Leaves: Alternate, deciduous, oblong to oval, 4-10 cm long, toothed above the middle, dark green above, paler and often grey-woolly beneath.
Flowers: Pink to deep rose, tiny (about 5 mm across); numerous, in a long, narrow, compact terminal cluster several times longer than wide.
Fruits: Cluster of several small, smooth, pod-like follicles; remain on the shrub after the leaves have fallen.
Ecology: Streambanks, swamps, fens, lake margins and damp meadows. Low to middle elevations.