Cotoneaster bacillaris Lindley var. affinis (Lindley) J. D. Hooker; C. frigidus Lindley var. affinis (Lindley) Wenzig; Mespilus affinis (Lindley) D. Don.

Shrubs deciduous, to 5 m tall. Branchlets dark reddish brown, terete. Petiole 4–5 mm, densely yellow tomentose; stipules linear or lanceolate, tomentulose; leaf blade ovate or elliptic-ovate, 2.5–5 × 1.4–2 cm, midvein raised abaxially and impressed adaxially, abaxially densely yellow tomentose, gradually glabrescent, adaxially glabrous or puberulous only along midvein, base broadly cuneate, apex obtuse or acute. Compound corymbs 3–4 cm in diam., 15–30-flowered or more; rachis and pedicels densely yellow tomentose; bracts linear-lanceolate, tomentose. Pedicel 2–3 mm. Flowers ca. 1 cm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially tomentose. Sepals broadly triangular, apex acute. Petals spreading, white, suborbicular or ovate, 3–4 mm, adaxially pubescent near base, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens 20, shorter than sepals. Ovary densely tomentose apically; styles 2, free, not exceeding stamens. Fruit purplish brown to black, ovoid, 6–8 mm in diam., pyrenes 2. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct.

Cotoneaser affinis var. bacillaris (Lindley) C. K. Schneider differs from the typical variety in having leaf blades oblong to obovate or oblong-lanceolate, abaxially slightly villous, glabrescent, and inflorescences less crowded, sparsely villous at first and glabrescent.

Slopes, mixed forests, thickets of river valleys; 1100--3900 m. SW Sichuan, S Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Nepal, Sikkim].