Bearberry cotoneaster

Shrubs, to 0.2 m. Stems carpeting or procumbent, ˂rooting, to 1.5 m, pliant˃; branches distichous or spiraled, greenish to light brown, ˂densely lenticellate˃, initially pilose-strigose. Leaves persistent; petiole 2–9 mm, villose-strigose; blade elliptic or obovate, rarely suborbiculate, 13–43 x 6–26 mm, coriaceous, base cuneate or obtuse, margins revolute, veins 5–8, sunken, apex obtuse or acute, rarely retuse, abaxial surfaces grayish green, ˂reticulate˃, initially villous, adaxial light green to green, intensely shiny, not glaucous, reticulate-rugose, not bulging between lateral veins, often single hairs on midrib. Inflorescences on fertile shoots 20–40 mm, usually with 4 leaves, (1 or)2 or 3(or 4)-flowered, compact. Pedicels 4–15 mm, thin, villose-strigose. Flowers ˂slightly pendent˃, 10–12 mm diam.; buds white; hypanthium cupulate, sparsely pilose-strigose; sepals: margins sparsely villous, apex obtuse or acute, surfaces sparsely pilose-strigose; petals spreading, white, glabrous; stamens 20, filaments white, anthers purple-black; styles 4 or 5. Pomes bright red, obovoid to broadly obovoid, rarely globose, 6–10 x 6–8 mm, shiny, not glaucous, glabrous; sepals suberect, glabrous; navel open; style remnants at apex. Pyrenes 4 or 5. 2n = 34 (Germany).

Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Sep–Apr. Disturbed forests, grassy banks, rock roadcuts, urban waste ground; 0–200 m; introduced; B.C.; Wash.; Asia (China); introduced also in Europe.

SELECTED REFERENCE Zhou L. H., Yin Q., and Wu Z. Y. 2000. Taxonomic studies on Cotoneaster dammeri (Rosaceae). Acta Bot. Yunnan. 22: 379–382.