Cotoneaster

Template:Taxobox begin Template:Taxobox image Template:Taxobox begin placement Template:Taxobox regnum entry Template:Taxobox divisio entry Template:Taxobox classis entry Template:Taxobox ordo entry Template:Taxobox familia entry Template:Taxobox subfamilia entry Template:Taxobox genus entry Template:Taxobox end placement Template:Taxobox section subdivision See text Template:Taxobox end

Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster) is a genus of woody plants in the rose family Rosaceae, native to the Palaearctic region (temperate Asia, Europe, north Africa), with a high diversity found in the mountains of southwestern China and the Himalaya. They are related to hawthorns (Crataegus), firethorns (Pyracantha), photinias (Photinia) and rowans (Sorbus).

Cotoneaster integrifolius branch form showing long shoot with numerous short shoots

There are between 70 and 300 species of cotoneaster, with many apomictic microspecies treated as species by some authors, but only as varieties by others.

The majority of species are shrubs from 0.5-5 m tall, varying from ground-hugging prostrate plants to erect shrubs; a few, notably C. frigidus, are small trees up to 15 m tall and 75 cm trunk diameter. The prostrate species are mostly alpine plants growing at high altitude (for example, C. integrifolius, which grows at 3000-4000 m in the Himalaya), while the larger species occur in scrub and woodland gaps at lower altitudes.

Cotoneaster horizontalis, flowering shrub

Cotoneaster integrifolius leaf and fruit (8 mm diameter) detail

The shoots are dimorphic, with long shoots (10-40 cm long) producing structural branches, and short shoots (0.5-5 cm long) bearing the flowers; this pattern often developing a 'herringbone' form of branching. The leaves are arranged alternately, 0.5-15 cm long, ovate to lanceolate, entire; both evergreen and deciduous species occur. The flowers are produced in late spring, solitary or in corymbs of up to 100 together; they are 5-10 mm diameter, and have five petals, creamy white to light pink, 10-20 stamens and up to five styles. The fruit is a small pome 5-12 mm diameter, bright red when mature, containing one to three (rarely up to five) seeds.

Cotoneasters are larval food for some Lepidoptera species including Mottled Umber, Short-cloaked Moth and Winter Moth.

Species

The species are divided into two or more sections:

• Cotoneaster sect. Cotoneaster. Flowers solitary or up to 5 together; petals forward-pointing, often tinged pink. Mostly smaller shrubs.
  • C. horizontalis
  • C. integrifolius (syn. C. microphyllus var. thymifolius)
  • C. intergerrimus
  • C. microphyllus
• Flowers 5-15 together in corymbs. Mostly larger shrubs.
  • C. bullatus
• Cotoneaster sect. Chaenopetalum. Flowers more than 20 together in corymbs; petals opening flat, creamy white. Mostly larger shrubs.
  • C. affinis
  • C. coriaceus
  • C. frigidus - Himalayan Tree Cotoneaster
  • C. glabratus
  • C. glaucophyllus
  • C. harrovianus
  • C. rhytidophyllus
  • C. salicifolius
  • C. turbinatus

Cultivation

Cotoneasters are popular garden shrubs, grown for their attractive habit and decorative fruit. Many of the garden shrubs are cultivars, some of hybrid origin; some of known parentage, others not.

External link

Cotoneaster in the Flora of China Online (includes most of the world's Cotoneaster species)