Cranberry Cotoneaster

(Rosaceae - Rose Family)

Form

• small but sprawling ornamental shrub; can also be considered a tall woody ornamental groundcover
• maturing at about 1.5' tall by 5' wide
• arching mound to spreading mound growth habit, with branches sometimes rooting as they touch the ground
• slow growth rate

Culture

• full sun to partial shade
• prefers moist, well-drained soils in full sun but is very urban stress tolerant, including poor soils, soils of various pH, drought, pruning, Winter salt spray, and soil compaction
• propagated by rooted stem cuttings or seeds
• Rose Family, with the primary pest problems being spider mites and Cotoneaster webworm, either of which can cause moderate to severe cosmetic leaf damage, and occasionally fireblight disease to the young stems
• mulch thoroughly underneath the sprawling shrub to prevent weeds from arising from beneath the arching stems, due to the small foliage that allows significant light penetration to the ground, causing weed seeds to germinate
• abundantly available in containers

Foliage

• small foliage is dark glossy green, alternate, to 0.5" long, broadly elliptical to rhombic, with an acute tip and an undulating leaf margin when mature
• spider mite cosmetic leaf damage creates a stippled yellow to brown color on otherwise green leaves, while webworm cosmetic leaf damage is often severe, with a webbed matrix covering the brown and dead leaves on entire stems
• fall color is a mixture of green, yellow, orange, red, and wine, slowly abscising, and ornamentally moderate in appeal

Flowers

• pink buds open to white-pink flowers tightly pressed to the stems, in late May and early June
• the small but numerous clustered flowers are effective when a whole plant is in flower, especially when viewed up-close, but is not overwhelming

Fruits

• red and glossy, maturing in late August and perhaps most effective in late Summer and early Autumn when contrasted against the glossy dark green foliage
• 0.25" in diameter and persistent into early Winter, either abscising or eaten by wildlife
• effective as a fruiting display when in mass plantings, or when viewed up-close

Twigs

• red-purple stems have persistent pubescence and very small buds
• older stems are olive-brown and lenticeled
• branches are continuously arching and mounding (and sometimes rooting as they contact the soil), with numerous side branchlets

Trunk

• not applicable

ID Summary

• foliage is small, alternate, glossy, and with undulating margins when fully expanded, often subject to mite and/or webworm damage during the hot, dry periods of Summer in established plantings
• pink buds open to white flowers, borne profusedly on the spur shoots, ornamentally marginal, but giving rise in late Summer to attractive, relatively large, rounded, glossy cherry-red fruits that are sessile on the arching stems, and effectively contrasted against the glossy dark green background foliage
• growth habit is low, spreading, and arching, as a sea of wavy stems with glossy foliage and red berries in late Summer

USAGE

Function

• a sprawling low shrub or tall groundcover, effective as an edging, facer, embankment, mass planting, low barrier, foundation, or raised planter plant (the latter showcases its short cascading effect)

Texture

• fine texture in foliage but medium texture when bare
• open density in foliage and when bare

Assets

• arching branches with lustrous dark green tiny leaves create a wavy mounding effect
• red cranberry-like fruits (hence the common name) that are dense and persistent into early Winter
• salt-spray tolerant

Liabilities

• garbage and dead leaf collector because of low, arching, many-stemmed profile
• spider mites and webworms are a frequent foliage cosmetic problem, especially when the plant is under heat and drought stress in Summer, and can lead to overall plant decline
• prone to invasion by weeds, which arise through the arching stems unless mulch is applied underneath
• slow growth

Habitat

• zones 5 to 7
• native to Western China

SELECTIONS

Alternates

• other low-profile groundcover-type woody plants (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Erica, Juniperus conferta, Juniperus horizontalis, Microbiota decussata, Mitchella repens, etc.)

Variants

• pendulous, arching, or horizontal woody plants are sometimes grafted onto vertical stems of members of the same genus, for a more dramatic impact, and Cranberry Cotoneaster is an example of this practice, sometimes sold on a 1.5' to 5' tall "standard"
• Cotoneaster apiculatus 'Tom Thumb' (also known as 'Little Gem', with its species or hybrid parentage sometimes placed under Cotoneaster adpressus or Cotoneaster horizontalis) - a truly compact form, with miniature crinkled leaves and very thin stems that radiate from the center of the shrub, to 1' tall by 2' wide, with very slow growth and essentially no flowers nor fruits; attractive as a dwarf specimen shrub, but very prone to webworm

NOTES

Translation

• Cotoneaster translates as "quince-like", referring to the larger foliage of another Rose Family member (Chaenomeles, or Quince).
• apiculatus (sometimes spelled apiculata) translates as "with a point," possibly referring to the apex of the leaf.

Purpose

• Cranberry Cotoneaster is a low shrub or tall woody groundcover noted for its arching branches and spreading habit, small glossy foliage, and red fruits.

Summary

• Cotoneaster apiculatus is a low arching to mounding shrub, with glossy small leaves and prominent globular red fruits, often utilized as an edging or facer shrub or as a tall non-traditional groundcover.