Cotoneaster integrifolius

Shrubs, widespreading, 0.5–1.5 m. Stems weakly ascending, suberect, or decumbent; branches spiraled, purple-black, sometimes green and brown striate, initially strigose. Leaves persistent, petiole 1–5 mm, strigose; blade oblanceolate or oblong, rarely lanceolate, 8–17 × 3–8 mm, coriaceous, base cuneate, margins revolute, veins 2–4, superficial, apex rotund or obtuse, rarely emarginate or acute, abaxial surfaces grayish white, faintly reticulate, initially densely strigose or strigose-pilose, later glabrate, adaxial dark green, sometimes blue-green, shiny, not glaucous, not bulging between lateral-veins, initially strigose, soon glabrate. Inflorescences on fertile shoots 5–12 mm with 2 or 3 leaves, 1 (or 2) -flowered, subsessile. Pedicels erect, densely strigose. Flowers 7–15 mm diam.; buds pink; hypanthium narrowly cupulate, densely strigose; sepals: margins densely villose-strigose, borders membranous, apex often red, acute or obtuse, sometimes shortly mucronate, surfaces often densely strigose-villous; petals spreading, white, glabrous; stamens 20, filaments white, anthers red-purple; styles 2 [or 3]. Pomes dark red with crimson, sometimes red, depressed-globose, 7–9 × 7–10 mm, dull or slightly shiny, glaucous, sparsely villous; sepals suberect or erect, villous; navel open; style remnants at apex. Pyrenes 2 [or 3]. 2n = 68 (Germany).

Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun; fruiting Aug–Mar.
Habitat: Openings in conifer forests
Elevation: 0–200 m

Introduced; Calif., Asia, also in Europe

Discussion

Cotoneaster integrifolius was treated as C. microphyllus Wallich ex Lindley var. thymifolius (Baker) Koehne by L. Lingdi and A. R. Brach (2003).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa