Tengyueh cotoneaster

Shrubs, 2–2.5 m; ˂crown ± rounded˃. Stems erect, arching, ˂long˃; branches distichous, grayish maroon, initially densely strigose. Leaves deciduous (sometimes tardily so on vigorous shoots); petiole 1–4 mm, strigose; blade ovate or elliptic, (25–)30–50(–61) x 12–32 mm, chartaceous, base cuneate or rounded, margins flat, veins 3–5, deeply sunken, apex acuminate or acute, abaxial surfaces grayish green, villose-strigose or sparsely to moderately gray-tomentose, adaxial green to dark green, shiny, not glaucous, flat or faintly bulging between lateral veins, pilose-strigose; ˂fall leaves yellow to orange˃. Inflorescences on fertile shoots 25–40 mm with (3 or)4 leaves, 3–7(–9)-flowered, compact. Pedicels 1–4 mm, densely strigose. Flowers ˂erect or ascending˃, [5–]6–8 mm, opening small; hypanthium cupulate, strigose; sepals: margins villous, ˂borders reddish brown, glabrous˃, apex acuminate or cuspidate, surfaces strigose; petals erect-incurved, pink to red, base dark pink or red, rarely dark red or maroon, margins white; stamens 20 or 21, filaments pink or pale pink, whitish distally, anthers white; styles (2 or)3–5. Pomes ˂spreading or pendent˃, bright red, broadly obovoid or subglobose, rarely oblong-obovoid, 6.3–10.4 x 5.8–9.1 mm, shiny, not glaucous, sparsely strigose; sepals flat or suberect, strigose; navel closed; style remnants 2/3 from base. Pyrenes (2 or)3–5. 2n = 68 (Germany).

Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Sep–Feb. Thickets, creek banks, open forests, edges; 0–50 m; introduced; Wash.; Asia (China); introduced also in Europe.

L. Lingdi and A. R. Brach (2003) confused Cotoneaster tengyuehensis with C. glomerulatus W. W. Smith, a species with small fruits 5 mm in diameter, with 5 pyrenes and styles, and slightly smaller leaves to 40–50 mm. In the flora area, C. tengyuehensis is more likely to be mistaken for C. franchetii, which is a true evergreen with orange-red, obovate to obconic fruits, and pink to purple stamens. Naturalized shrubs of C. tengyuehensis drop their foliage in midwinter.