Cotoneasters
What are they?
The five-petalled flowers and fleshy fruits are a good indicator that these plants are in the rose family (Rosaceae), along with apples, pears, plums, cherries and other similar species. Cotoneasters are a very variable bunch, from tree-sized plants right down to prostrate ground-huggers. Most cotoneasters are apomictic, a technical term which essentially means that plants generally self-pollinate, resulting in entire populations of plants that are clones of each other. Thus, although cotoneasters are common, hybrids between the species are rare.
Where are they found?
There are no native cotoneasters in our region, so all species are only likely to be found as strays from cultivation. Cotoneaster berries are popular with birds and the majority of plants that might be found tend to originate from seeds deposited by birds after they have eaten the berries. Thus, cotoneasters tend to be found mostly in urban areas, often growing from cracks in pavements, old walls and similar places. Old cemeteries also often hold bird-sown cotoneasters. Note that cotoneasters are far more common than the local floras suggest; perhaps people pass them by because they assume that they are too difficult to identify.
Identification
Astoundingly, around 100 Cotoneaster species have been reported at large in the UK! Fortunately, perhaps, we have a far smaller number in East Anglia, some of which have only been noted less than 10 times in the region. This all helps to narrow the possibilities, but cotoneasters can still be difficult to identify until the observer is more familiar with them. For a full identification, it may be necessary to make more than one visit to a plant, to obtain details of flowers, fruits, whether the plant is evergreen or deciduous and measurements of summer leaves.
Tree Cotoneaster Cotoneaster frigidus
Uncommon, but occasionally found in old churchyards or scrubby areas close to habitation. Flowers June. A tall, multistemmed species that can attain tree size and may reach 10 metres or more in height. Leaves 6-20cm in length with veins not strongly impressed; flowers in large trusses, opening fully; fruits red (but sometimes yellow or orange in cultivated forms), rounded with a slightly flattened top. Plants are usually fully deciduous, but may be semi-evergreen in sheltered spots. One of the few non-apomictic species which has been crossed with Willow-leaved Cotoneaster to produce a range of hybrid, cultivated forms.
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Waterer's Cotoneaster Cotoneaster x watereri
Frequent on waste ground and undeveloped sites in urban areas and cemeteries, both as a garden throw-out or bird-sown plant. Flowers June. A rather variable species due to the production of cultivated forms and the readiness with which it seems to form hybrids with its parents, Tree Cotoneaster and Willow-leaved Cotoneaster, but usually appears intermediate between those two species and growing to 5-8 metres in height. Leaves 6-20cm in length with veins variably impressed; flowers in large, showy trusses, opening fully; fruits bright red (but sometimes yellow or orange in cultivated forms), rounded with a slightly flattened top and produced in abundance. Plants are usually semi-evergreen, retaining at least some leaves through the winter.
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Willow-leaved Cotoneaster Cotoneaster salicifolius
Uncommon, but occasionally found in old churchyards or scrubby areas close to habitation. Flowers June. A very variable species, in part because it is not apomictic and in part because of a wide range of cultivated varieties. Plants may be more or less prostrate, or shrubby, occasionally to 5m in height. Leaves 5-10cm in length with veins strongly impressed, evergreen, rather narrow in outline; flowers in large trusses, opening fully; fruits red (but sometimes yellow or orange in cultivated forms), rounded with a slightly flattened top. One of the few non-apomictic species which has been crossed with Tree Cotoneaster to produce a range of hybrid, cultivated forms.
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Late Cotoneaster Cotoneaster lacteus
Not often reported, but abundant in gardens as the most popular cotoneaster for hedging and occasionally found as a bird-sown plant. Flowers July. Usually a spreading shrub with arching branches, occasionally to 8m in height but usually shorter. Leaves 3-9cm in length with veins strongly impressed, evergreen, oval to broadly obovate (broadest towards the tip); flowers in large trusses, opening fully; fruits red, eventually shiny but not glossy, rounded.
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Entire-leaved Cotoneaster Cotoneaster integrifolius
A common plant of gardens and parks, occasionally found self-seeded in urban habitats. Long-known from coastal dunes at Burnham Overy in Norfolk. Flowers May to June. Grows to form a low, tangled bush of arching branches, to one metre in height. Leaves small, 0.7-1.5cm in length, evergreen, stiff; flowers carried singly, opening fully; fruits dull crimson-red.
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Bearberry Cotoneaster Cotoneaster dammeri
Introduced from China and popular as groundcover in municipal landscape plantings, from where it may occasionally spread. Flowers May to June. Plants prostrate, with dreeping stems up to three metres in length. Leaves 1.5-4cm in length, evergreen, often looking relatively large for the size of the plant. Flowers solitary or more typically in small clusters of 2-4, opening fully; fruits 5-8mm, bright, shining red with four to five stones inside, subglobose to broadly obovoid.
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Swedish Cotoneaster Cotoneaster x suecicus
A garden hybrid, once recorded in Cambridgeshire but which may occur elsewhere as a garden throw-out or self-sown. Popular in municipal planting projects for its groundcover capability. Flowers May to June. Plants more or less prostrate, with stems to 60cm in height and trailing up to two metres in length. Leaves 1-2.5cm in length, evergreen, broader on non-flowering stems; flowers solitary or in small clusters of up to four, opening fully; fruits bright, shining red with three to four stones inside, obovate with a flattened top. Usually grown in cultivation as the forms 'Coral Beauty' or 'Skogholm'.
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Tibetan Cotoneaster Cotoneaster conspicuus
A common plant of gardens and parks, occasionally found self-seeded in urban habitats. There are currently no published records for East Anglia, but this species is frequently bird-sown around Norwich, such as along the Wensum in the Bishopgate area. Flowers May to June. Grows to form a spreading bush of stiffly arching branches, to one metre or a little more in height. Leaves small, 0.5-2cm in length, evergreen, stiff - but not as stiff as those of Entire-leaved Cotoneaster and less shiny than that species, with more persistent hairs; flowers carried singly, opening fully; fruits shiny red. Although evergreen, the leaves often become quite dulled and purplish in winter.
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Himalayan Cotoneaster Cotoneaster simonsii
A very common plant of gardens and parks, occasionally found self-seeded in urban habitats, especially on walls, pavement cracks and in churchyards. Flowers June. A stiffly erect, bushy species to three metre in height. Leaves 1.5-2.5cm in length, very shiny, deciduous; flowers in clusters of one to four, only partially opening; fruits cylindrical or slightly obovoid, orange to orange-red.
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Wall Cotoneaster Cotoneaster horizontalis
A very common plant of gardens and parks and by far the most commonly found self-seeded cotoneaster, especially on walls. Flowers May to June. Typically grows in a series of spreading, fan-like sprays with a distinct 'herringbone' pattern to the branchlets; forms a low, tangled bush of arching branches, to one metre or less in height. Leaves small, 0.6-1.2cm in length, deciduous, stiff; flowers usually two to three together, deep pink barely opening but still very popular with bees; fruits small, rounded, bright red.
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Hjelmqvist's Cotoneaster Cotoneaster hjelmqvistii
A common plant of gardens and parks and occasionally found self-seeded in urban areas. Flowers May. A rather sprawly species that forms a low, open-branched shrub, to one metre or exceptionally to two metres in height. Leaves 1-2cm in length, deciduous, broadly rounded; flowers usually two to three together, deep pink barely opening but still very popular with bees; fruits small, rounded, bright red. Much confused and misidentified in cultivation in the past and often sold as Cotoneaster horizontalis 'Robustus' or as C. rotundifolius.
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Spreading Cotoneaster Cotoneaster divaricatus
A fairly common plant of gardens and parks, most frequently clipped for hedging. Uncommon as a bird-sown introduction. Flowers May to June. A shrub growing to two metres in height with rather broadly spreading and arching branches (though much more compact when clipped as a hedge). Leaves 0.8-2.5cm in length, deciduous, with distinctly wavy margins; flowers usually two to three together, pale pink and barely opening; fruits distinctly cylindrical, dark to bright red.
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Hollyberry Cotoneaster Cotoneaster bullatus
Although quite regularly recorded as a bird-sown plant in the past, this is an uncommon plant in cultivation in the region and most (perhaps all) records of this species relate to Bullate Cotoneaster (the confusion between the species is even reflected in the names!). Flowers June to July. A shrub growing to three metres in height but often much less, the stems usually more spreading than those of Bullate Cotoneaster. Leaves 3.5-7cm in length, deciduous, with strongly-impressed (= bullate) veins. Flowers in clusters but opening only one or two at a time, pink and barely opening; fruits obovoid, shiny red.
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Bullate Cotoneaster Cotoneaster rehderi
A fairly common plant in cultivation in the region and occasionally spread by birds into marginal areas and roadside banks. Most (perhaps all) records of Hollyberry Cotoneaster relate to this species (the confusion between the species is even reflected in the names!). Flowers May to June. A mutlistemmed small tree or large shrub growing to four metres in height. Leaves 5-15cm in length, deciduous, with strongly-impressed (= bullate) veins. Flowers in clusters but opening only one or two at a time, pink and barely opening; fruits rounded, dark, shiny red.
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Franchet's Cotoneaster Cotoneaster franchetii
Very common as a garden or parkland plant and often used for hedging. Occasional as a bird-sown species in urban areas. Flowers June to July. A shrub growing to three metres in height but often much less, stems broadly spreading and arching. Leaves 2-3.5cm in length, evergreen, with impressed veins and thickly white-downy beneath. Flowers in clusters but opening only one or two at a time, pink with purple anthers and barely opening; fruits obovoid, bright orange-red. The white-downy leaf undersides and young shoots give the plant a very distinctive, silver-grey look.
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Stern's Cotoneaster Cotoneaster sternianus
Uncommon in cultivation but occasionally recorded in the region as a garden throw-out or where bird-sown. Flowers May to June. A shrub growing to three metres in height but often much less, stems dense, rather stiffly upright then arching towards the tips. Leaves 2-5.5cm in length, evergreen, with impressed veins and pale-downy beneath. Flowers in clusters, barely opening, one or two at a time, deep pink with paler margins to the petals, anthers white; fruits rounded and often flattened and downy at the distal end, bright red.
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Diels's Cotoneaster Cotoneaster dielsianus
Uncommon in cultivation but occasionally recorded in the region where bird-sown on walls. Flowers June. A shrub growing to three metres in height but often much less, stems arching openly from erect bases. Leaves 1.2-3cm in length, deciduous, with slightly impressed veins and pale-downy beneath. Flowers in clusters, barely opening, one or two at a time, deep pink to red with paler margins to the petals, anthers white; fruits rounded and often flattened and downy at the distal end, deep red.
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Silverleaf Cotoneaster Cotoneaster pannosus
Uncommon in cultivation and recorded just once in Mid-Norfolk. Flowers May to July. An evergreen shrub growing to 3-4 metres in height. Leaves 2-3.6cm in length, thickly white-felted beneath as are the young stems. Flowers in clusters of 5-15, white-felted on the stalks and calyxes. Fruits 6-8mm, rounded shiny red and downy at the distal end.
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