WildBristol.uk - Discovering Wildlife in Bristol

Stace 4:

Cotoneaster salicifolius Franch. - Willow-leaved Cotoneaster.

Erect, arching or more or less procumbent, evergreen shrub to 5m; leaves 3-10cm, shiny and more or less bullate on upperside, tomentose on lowerside; inflorescence > (20)30-flowered; anthers purple to black; fruits bright red, sometimes pale yellow ('Rothschildianus'), 4-5mm, sublobose to depressed-globose, with 3-5 stones; (2n=34). Neophyte-naturalised; frequent in Britain North to Central Scotland, South West Ireland; West China. Sexual and variable.

Key:

• Leaves densely hairy to tomentose on lowerside
• Leaves oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic; fruits mostly 4-5mm, often slightly wider than long, with 3-5 stones