Cotoneaster franchetii Franchet's Cotoneaster

A native of Yunnan in southwester China, first introduced in 1895, which is widely recorded in much of lowland Britain, including south Wales. It is an arching, deciduous shrub which is commonly grown in gardens and used in amenity plantings. Bees frequently visit the flowers which eventually develop into small, oval, orange-red berrie, It is often confused with Stern's Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster sternianus) but it has smaller leaves (2-3,5cm long) and the sepals have a long-pointed apex. Like other Cotoneaster species the berries are eaten by birds which then distribute the seeds in their droppings. It is a tetraploid, apomictic species and it is widespread in West Glamorgan.

Neophyte