Cotoneaster horizontalis

Cotoneaster horizontalis is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cotoneaster of the family Rosaceae.

Cotoneaster horizontalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Rosaceae
Genus:	Cotoneaster
Species:	C. horizontalis
Binomial name
Cotoneaster horizontalis Decne.
Synonyms[1]
Diospyros chaffanjonii H.Lév. Cotoneaster acuminatus prostratus Hook.f. ex Wenz. Cotoneaster acuminatus var. prostratus Hook. ex Decne. Cotoneaster atropurpureus Flinck & B.Hylmö Cotoneaster atrovirens J.Fryer & B.Hylmö Cotoneaster davidianus Dippel Cotoneaster horizontalis var. perpusillus C.K.Schneid. Cotoneaster horizontalis f. variegatus (Osborn) Rehder Cotoneaster horizontalis var. variegatus Osborn Cotoneaster microphyllus Diels Pyrus atroramosa M.F.Fay & Christenh.

Description

Cotoneaster horizontalis is a short shrub with a spreading habit, growing to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall by 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) wide. It is cultivated for its flat, symmetrical sprays of glossy green, deciduous leaves 6 to 12 mm long.^[2] The flowers appear in summer, and can range from pink to white. It is commonly grown in parks and gardens in temperate regions as hedging or groundcover.^[3]

Fruits

Distribution

Cotoneaster horizontalis is native to mountains of Nepal, China, and Taiwan; in China it occurs from Tibet and Yunnan in the west to Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the east and is absent from the north and the very south.^[4] It has naturalised in parts of the United Kingdom, and may be becoming invasive.^[5][6] It has been recorded from Counties Down, Antrim ^[7] and Dublin in Ireland.^[8]

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[9]