Cotoneaster argenteus G. Klotz; C. brevirameus Rehder & E. H. Wilson; C. buxifolius f. vellaeus Franchet; C. buxifolius var. vellaeus (Franchet) G. Klotz; C. hodjingensis G. Klotz; C. lidjiangensis G. Klotz; C. microphyllus Wallich ex Lindley var. buxifolius Dippel; C. microphyllus var. vellaeus (Franchet) Rehder & E. H. Wilson.

Shrubs evergreen to semievergreen, 1–2 m tall. Leaf blade elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 5–10 mm or slightly longer, abaxially gray tomentose, apex usually acute and mucronate. Inflorescences 3–5(–9)-flowered, rarely flowers solitary. Pedicels, hypanthium, and sepals abaxially densely and persistently strigose-tomentose.

Zhou & Wu (Acta Bot. Yunnan. 23: 29–36. 2001) treated Cotoneaster buxifolius f. vellaeus as a synonym of Cotoneaster poluninii G. Klotz (from Nepal) and recognized C. delavayanus G. Klotz as a distinct species. Although sometimes aligned here, we consider both Cotoneaster astrophoros J. Fryer & E. C. Nelson and C. delavayanus as doubtful species.

Rocky mountain slopes, thickets, roadsides; 1000--3300 m. Guizhou, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal].