Gamble’s cotoneaster

Shrubs or trees, 4–10 m. Stems loosely erect, spreading and arching; branches spiraled, brown or maroon-purple, initially tomentose-strigose. Leaves usually semipersistent (persisting to April if sheltered), sometimes deciduous; petiole 4–10 mm, densely villose-strigose; blade elliptic, (25–)50–127 x 13–49[–62 in cultivation] mm, chartaceous or subcoriaceous, base cuneate or obtuse, margins flat, veins 7 or 8, superficial, apex acute or obtuse, abaxial surfaces pale gray-green, initially villous, later glabrate, adaxial dark green, shiny, not glaucous, flat between lateral veins, sometimes becoming slightly rugose, glabrate; ˂fall leaves pale yellowish green˃. Inflorescences on fertile shoots 40–70 mm with 2 or 3 leaves, 5–34-flowered, lax. Pedicels 1–8 mm, sparsely villose-strigose. Flowers 8–12.5 mm diam.; buds white; hypanthium cupulate, densely villous; sepals: margins ˂maroon˃, tomentose, apex acute, surfaces densely villous; petals spreading, white, sometimes with hair tuft; stamens 18–20, filaments white, anthers red-purple or dark red-purple; styles (1 or)2. Pomes red, often tinged with pink, green, brown, or purple, obovoid, rarely subglobose, 8.5–12.8 x 8–12 mm, dull, slightly glaucous, sparsely villous; sepals flat, ˂margins tomentose˃, densely villous; navel slightly open; style remnants near apex. Pyrenes [1 or]2.

Flowering May; fruiting Sep–Nov. Mesic thickets, flood plains, disturbed forests; 0–50 m; introduced; Wash.; Asia (Bhutan, India).