Yunnan cotoneaster

Cotoneaster buxifolius Wallich ex Lindley forma cochleatus Franchet, Pl. Delavay., 224. 1890 (as buxifolia forma cochleata); C. microphyllus Wallich ex Lindley var. cochleatus (Franchet) Rehder & E. H. Wilson; C. thymifolius Baker var. cochleatus (Franchet) Franchet

Shrubs, to 0.4 m. Stems prostrate or nearly so, carpeting, ˂rooting˃; branches spiraled and distichous, ˂dense˃, red to purple-black, ˂slender˃, initially yellow-green strigose. Leaves persistent; petiole 1–4 mm, strigose; blade obovate to broadly obovate, rarely suborbiculate, 5–14 x 3–9 mm, coriaceous, base obtuse or broadly cuneate, margins slightly revolute, veins 2 or 3, superficial, apex obtuse, sometimes emarginate, abaxial surfaces grayish, ˂reticulate˃, initially densely strigose-villous, adaxial dark green, shiny, not glaucous, sometimes lightly rugose, glabrescent. Inflorescences on fertile shoots 8–15 mm, usually with 4 leaves, 1(–3)-flowered. Pedicels 3–5 mm, strigose. Flowers 7–10 mm diam.; buds pinkish; hypanthium cupulate, strigose or pilose-strigose; sepals: margins villous, apex obtuse or acute, surfaces initially sparsely pilose-strigose; petals spreading, white, glabrous; stamens (15–)20, filaments white, anthers dark purple; styles 2(or 3). Pomes bright red to crimson, subglobose, 7–9 x 8–10 mm, slightly shiny, not glaucous, sparsely pilose; sepals suberect, sparsely strigose; navel slightly open; style remnants at apex on small projection. Pyrenes 2(or 3). 2n = 68 (Germany).

Flowering May–Jun; fruiting Sep–Nov. Forest edges; 0–50 m; introduced; N.Y.; Asia (China); introduced also in Europe.

Cotoneaster cochleatus was treated as a variety of C. microphyllus by L. Lingdi and A. R. Brach (2003); here the two are distinguished at species rank, following H. Nybom et al. (2005). Plants of C. microphyllus have a suberect habit, usually elliptic leaves (rarely broadly obovate) with acute apices, and pomes 6 mm wide; C. cochleatus is always prostrate and has usually obovate leaves (rarely suborbiculate) with blunt apices, and pomes 8–10 mm wide.