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Yunnan cotoneaster

bearberry cotoneaster, spreading cotoneaster, stretch-fruit cotoneaster

Habit Shrubs, to 0.4 m. Stems prostrate or nearly so, carpeting, rooting; branches spiraled and distichous, dense, red to purple-black, slender, initially yellow-green strigose. Shrubs, 1.5–2 m; crown spreading, rounded.
Stems

erect;

branches divaricate or spiraled, spreading, lateral branches well developed, usually arching, long, brownish violet, initially strigose.

Leaves

persistent;

petiole 1–4 mm, strigose;

blade obovate to broadly obovate, rarely suborbiculate, 5–14 × 3–9 mm, coriaceous, base obtuse or broadly cuneate, margins slightly revolute, veins 2 or 3, superficial, apex obtuse, sometimes emarginate, abaxial surfaces grayish, reticulate, initially densely strigose-villous, adaxial dark green, shiny, not glaucous, sometimes lightly rugose, glabrescent.

deciduous;

petiole 3–4 mm, strigose;

blade elliptic, rarely ovate or suborbiculate, on sterile shoots usually elliptic or broadly elliptic, 10–30 × 7–21 mm, chartaceous, base obtuse, margins flat, not revolute, sometimes undulate, veins 3 or 4, superficial or slightly sunken, apex acute, rarely acuminate, abaxial surfaces pale green, initially strigose, adaxial dark green, shiny, not glaucous, flat between lateral veins, initially sparsely strigose;

fall leaves orange, red, or reddish purple.

Inflorescences

on fertile shoots 8–15 mm, usually with 4 leaves, 1(–3)-flowered.

on fertile shoots 10–20 mm with 4 leaves, 1–4-flowered, compact.

Pedicels

3–5 mm, strigose.

1–3 mm, strigose.

Flowers

7–10 mm diam.;

buds pinkish;

hypanthium cupulate, strigose or pilose-strigose;

sepals: margins villous, apex obtuse or acute, surfaces initially sparsely pilose-strigose;

petals spreading, white, glabrous;

stamens (15–)20, filaments white, anthers dark purple;

styles 2(or 3).

6–8 mm, opening small;

hypanthium cupulate, strigose;

sepals: margins villous, apex acute or acuminate, surfaces strigose;

petals erect-incurved, pale red, base dark red, border white;

stamens 10–15, filaments dark red, whitish distally, anthers white;

styles (1 or)2(or 3).

Pomes

bright red to crimson, subglobose, 7–9 × 8–10 mm, slightly shiny, not glaucous, sparsely pilose;

sepals suberect, sparsely strigose;

navel slightly open;

style remnants at apex on small projection.

dark red to ruby (finally blackish red), cylindric, oblong-ellipsoid, or narrowly obovoid, 8–11 × 4–8 mm, shiny, not glaucous, sparsely pilose;

sepals suberect, sparsely pilose;

navel open;

style remnants 2/3 from base.

Pyrenes

2(or 3).

(1 or)2(or 3) [rarely 4].

2n

= 68 (Germany).

Cotoneaster cochleatus

Cotoneaster divaricatus

Phenology Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Sep–Nov. Flowering Apr–May; fruiting Sep–Dec.
Habitat Forest edges Thickets, edges, disturbed forests, flood plains, rarely epiphytic on maple
Elevation 0–50 m (0–200 ft) 0–700 m (0–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
NY; Asia (China) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
IL; IN; KY; MA; MI; NY; OH; OR; PA; WA; WI; BC; ON; Asia (China) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cotoneaster cochleatus was treated as a variety of C. microphyllus by L. Lingdi and A. R. Brach (2003); here the two are distinguished at species rank, following H. Nybom et al. (2005). Plants of C. microphyllus have a suberect habit, usually elliptic leaves (rarely broadly obovate) with acute apices, and pomes 6 mm wide; C. cochleatus is always prostrate and has usually obovate leaves (rarely suborbiculate) with blunt apices, and pomes 8–10 mm wide.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Although rarely collected, Cotoneaster divaricatus is the most widely escaped cotoneaster in eastern North America. Misidentified specimens of it have been reported from New York as C. hupehensis Rehder & E. H. Wilson (R. S. Mitchell and G. C. Tucker 1997), from Illinois as C. acutifolius (J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham 2003), from Indiana and Ontario as C. horizontalis (Kartesz and Meacham), from Kentucky as C. apiculatus Rehder & E. H. Wilson (Kartesz and Meacham), and from Wisconsin as C. lucidus (Kartesz and Meacham).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 9, p. 459. FNA vol. 9, p. 461.
Parent taxa Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Cotoneaster Rosaceae > subfam. Amygdaloideae > tribe Maleae > Cotoneaster
Sibling taxa
C. adpressus, C. atropurpureus, C. conspicuus, C. crispii, C. dammeri, C. dielsianus, C. divaricatus, C. fangianus, C. franchetii, C. frigidus, C. gamblei, C. hjelmqvistii, C. hodjingensis, C. horizontalis, C. integrifolius, C. lacteus, C. lucidus, C. magnificus, C. melanocarpus, C. miniatus, C. monopyrenus, C. nitens, C. pannosus, C. qungbixiensis, C. rehderi, C. salicifolius, C. simonsii, C. sternianus, C. tengyuehensis, C. transens, C. vestitus, C. villosulus, C. ×suecicus
C. adpressus, C. atropurpureus, C. cochleatus, C. conspicuus, C. crispii, C. dammeri, C. dielsianus, C. fangianus, C. franchetii, C. frigidus, C. gamblei, C. hjelmqvistii, C. hodjingensis, C. horizontalis, C. integrifolius, C. lacteus, C. lucidus, C. magnificus, C. melanocarpus, C. miniatus, C. monopyrenus, C. nitens, C. pannosus, C. qungbixiensis, C. rehderi, C. salicifolius, C. simonsii, C. sternianus, C. tengyuehensis, C. transens, C. vestitus, C. villosulus, C. ×suecicus
Synonyms C. buxifolius, C. microphyllus var. cochleatus, C. thymifolius var. cochleatus
Name authority (Franchet) G. Klotz: Wiss. Z. Martin-Luther-Univ. Halle-Wittenberg, Math.-Naturwiss. Reihe 6: 952. (1957) Rehder & E. H. Wilson: in C. S. Sargent, Pl. Wilson. 1: 157. (1912)
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