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Scientific Name
Synonyms
Family
Common Names
Origin
Cultivation
Naturalised Distribution
Habitat
Habit
Distinguishing Features
Stems and Leaves
Flowers and Fruit
Reproduction and Dispersal
Environmental Impact
Other Impacts
Legislation
Management
Similar Species
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Click on images to enlarge

infestation (Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, USGS)

habit (Photo: Trevor James)

older stem, leaves and mature fruit (Photo: Trevor James)

younger stem and leaves (Photo: Trevor James)

lower surfaces of leaves (Photo: Trevor James)

close-up of leaves and mature fruit (Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, USGS)

leaves and mature fruit (Photo: Trevor James)

close-up of seeds (Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, USGS)

seedlings (Photo: Forest and Kim Starr, USGS)

Cotoneaster franchetii

Scientific Name

Cotoneaster franchetii Boiss.

Synonyms

Cotoneaster buxifolius Wall. ex Lindl.

Family

Malaceae (New South Wales)
Rosaceae (Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia)

Common Names

cotoneaster, Franchet cotoneaster, Franchet's cotoneaster, grey cotoneaster, orange cotoneaster, rockspray cotoneaster, silverleaf cotoneaster

Origin

This species is native to south-western China, northern Myanmar and northern Thailand.

Cultivation

A commonly grown garden ornamental in the temperate regions of Australia.

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised mainly around populated areas in south-eastern Australia. It is scattered throughout the tablelands of eastern New South Wales and is also present in the ACT, Victoria and Tasmania.

Habitat

A weed of gardens, bushland, open woodlands, grasslands, forest margins, waterways, roadsides, railway lines and waste areas in temperate regions.

Habit

A shrub or small tree with an upright (i.e. erect) or arching habit that usually grows about 2-3 m tall, but occasionally reaches up to 5 m in height. This species usually loses some or all of its leaves during winter (i.e. it is semi-deciduous or deciduous).

Distinguishing Features

Stems and Leaves

The upright (i.e. erect) stems grow in a somewhat spreading and arching nature as the plant matures. Older branches are usually dark brown or greyish-black in colour and hairless (i.e. glabrous), while younger stems are greenish and densely covered in felty hairs.

The alternately arranged leaves are small (20-35 mm long and 7-18 mm wide) and oval (i.e. elliptic) or egg-shaped in outline (i.e. ovate). They have entire margins, pointed tips (i.e. acute or acuminate apices) and are borne on short stalks (i.e. petioles) only 1-4 mm long. Their upper surfaces are greyish-green and somewhat hairy (i.e. pubescent) when young, but become hairless (i.e. glabrous) and shiny in appearance as the leaves mature. Their lower surfaces are densely covered in felty hairs (i.e. they are pubescent) and have a whitish or silvery appearance.

Flowers and Fruit

The pink or pinkish-white coloured flowers (6-10 mm across) are borne in clusters (i.e. corymbs) along the branches, each cluster containing 5-15 flowers. These flowers have five relatively upright (i.e. erect) petals (3-4 mm long and 2-3 mm wide) with rounded tips (i.e. erect apices) and five tiny sepals (1-2 mm long and 1.5-2.5 mm wide). They also have about 20 stamens and 2-5 styles. They are borne on stalks (i.e. pedicels) 2-4 mm long that are densely hairy (i.e. pubescent). Flowering occurs during spring and summer.

The small fruit (5-10 mm across) is a rounded (i.e. globose) or egg-shaped (i.e. ovoid) 'berry' (i.e. actually a pome). These fruit turn orange-red, red or pinkish-orange as they mature and usually contain three small 'seeds' (i.e. nutlets or pyrenes). They are initially hairy (i.e. pubescent), but become hairless (i.e. glabrous) as they mature.

Reproduction and Dispersal

This plant reproduces by seeds which are often spread by birds that eat the brightly coloured 'berries' (i.e. pomes). The fruit are also dispersed in dumped garden waste. If plants are cut down they will produce suckers from the base (i.e. the crown).

Environmental Impact

Grey cotoneaster (Cotoneaster franchetii) is regarded as an environmental weed in Tasmania, Victoria, the ACT and New South Wales. It is the most invasive of the cotoneasters that are found in the Blue Mountains region in New South Wales. This species, like the other cotoneasters, forms thickets under tall trees and dense infestations will displace local native plant species. This invasive process modifies or removes the habitat of local wildlife and also allows other weeds to invade.

Other Impacts

The fruit of this species are considered to be quite poisonous to humans. Grey cotoneaster (Cotoneaster franchetii) can also act as a host for bacterial fireblight, a disease of orchards.

Legislation

This species is declared under legislation in the following states and territories:

Management

For information on the management of this species see the following resources:

Similar Species

Grey cotoneaster (Cotoneaster franchetii) is very similar to large-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster glaucophyllus), silver-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster pannosus), willow-leaved cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius), milk-flower cotoneaster (Cotoneaster coriaceus) and khasia berry (Cotoneaster simonsii). These species can be distinguished by the following differences:

Grey cotoneaster (Cotoneaster franchetii) is also relatively similar to the firethorns (Pyracantha spp.) and the hawthorns (Crataegus spp.). However, the firethorns (Pyracantha spp.) have stems that are armed with spines and the hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) have deeply lobed leaves that are also often coarsely toothed (i.e. serrate) towards their tips and stems that are also armed with stout thorns.