I have a special fondness for cotoneasters, though I’m not entirely sure why. Perhaps it’s because they offer something of interest in every season, or simply because they don’t receive as much attention as other plant groups. Either way, I seem to spend a fair amount of time writing about them on this blog, and longer still roaming the city, taking samples and vexing myself over their identification.
Cotoneasters are often considered one of the “trickier” plant groups to identify, and, as a result, are under-recorded across much of the UK, including here in Tyneside. Yet, they are fast becoming a notable part of our urban flora, and their diversity makes them deserving of more focused attention. Particularly given the fact that some species – including C. horizontalis and C. microphyllus – show a tendency to become invasive under specific circumstances.
This brief “cotoneaster guide” aims to highlight the distribution and diversity of the cotoneaster species found in Newcastle and North Tyneside. It is not an exhaustive list —there are undoubtedly more species out there waiting to be discovered— but it aims to provide information on localised distributions for interested botanists, whether local or farther afield.
Within this PDF, you’ll find maps, identification tips, and general habitat observations. However, this should not be considered a full “guide.” For that, I recommend Cotoneasters: A Comprehensive Guide to Shrubs for Flowers, Fruit, and Foliage by Fryer and Hylmö (2009), which remains the best resource on this group. Other fantastic resources, likely to be of help to botanists, include The Alien Plants of Belgium and of course, Stace’s New Flora of the British Isles.
If you’d like to share a Cotoneaster record, feel free to email me at jamesmcommon@gmail.com or add your sighting to iRecord, where it will be picked up by a local vice-county recorder.
In this new series of blogs, I hope to condense the available information associated with different groupings of cotoneasters. This will include wild and naturalised species but also some available in horticulture and thus, likely to occur in the future. References are provided.
Medium shrubs to small trees with subcoriaceous leaves boasting a strongly bullate [blistered] upper surface and often, deeply impressed veins. Most fall into series Bullati (Flinck & B. Hylmö) but several other superficially similar species known to occur are also included.
Of these cotoneasters, only Hollyberry Cotoeaster (Cotoneaster bullatus) and Bullate Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster rehderi) are known to occur widely in the UK and are often confused. Several other species, most notably Bois’s Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster boisianus) and Firebird Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster ignescens) are known to occur more scantly but may have been overlooked. More species still are available in horticulture and grown in botanical gardens and arboretums and as such, as liable to occur in the future.
Bullate, dark green, slightly shiny, initially strigose; veins 3-5 impressed.
Leaf below
Villous, especially on midrib.
Lightly green, initially yellowish strigose.
Somewhat reticulate, yellowish tomentose-villous.
Branchlets
Maroon, initially yellowish pilose
Maroon and lenticellate, initially pilose.
Maroon, initially yellowish pilose
UK Status
2388 records (Sept 2024)
3612 records (Sept 2024)
10 records (Sept 2024)
Comment
Common in some parts
Perhaps the most likely species to be found in all habitats across the UK.
Rather unlikely
A comparison of Cotoneaster bullatus and select similar species recorded in the UK
Similar Species in Cultivation
Cotoneaster emeiensis has large leaves reminiscent of C. rehderi (120-160mm x 55-60mm) and could be easily confused. It has slightly smaller fruits (8-9mm) and it’s flowers differ with petals that are red with a brownish-red base and a pink border. It is now available for sale in the UK, and has been planted at select botanical gardens.
Cotoneaster ataensis has smaller leaves than the species above (35-50mm x 25-33mm) but shares the rich red fruits. It differs in having 3-9 flowers, each with an open corolla and petals which are red with a blackish-purple base and a pink border. Fryer & Hylmö (2009) state that this species is widespread in cultivation but often mislabelled as C. bullatus.
Cotoneaster atuntzensiscould be mistaken for either C. bullatus or C. rehderi. It has shortly obovoid fruits (8-9mm) with 3-4 nutlets and petals which are pale pink and greenish with an off white border.
3-13 flowered. Corolla with small opening, petals reddish brown with a pink or off-white border; filaments red and pink, anthers white.
9-18 flowered. Corolla closed, petals red with a dark red base and pale pink border; filaments red and pink, anthers white.
3-15 flowered. Corolla closed or with small opening, petals pink with greenish brown or white stripe, border off-white; filaments pale pink, anthers white.
Leafsize
38-50mm x 23-28mm (subcoriaceous)
46-60mm x 22-32mm (chartaceous)
26-40mm x 13-24mm (subcoriaceous)
Leaf above
Bullate, dark green, shiny, strigose; veins 5-7 impressed.
Slightly bullate, dark green, dull, pilose-strigose; veins 6-8 impressed.
Bullate, dark green, shiny, pilose-strigose; veins 4-6 impressed.
Leaf below
Densely whitish pilose-villous
Reticulate, yellowish pilose.
Densely villous-pilose
Branchlets
Maroon, initially pilose-strigose.
Maroon, strigose-pilose.
Maroon, initially yellowish pilose
UK Status
9 records (Sept 2024)
36 records (Sept 2024)
Not yet recorded
Comment
Highly unlikely
Grows easily from seed in my experience so perhaps one to hunt for!
Apparently available in horticulture
A comparison of Cotoneaster ignescens and select similar species recorded in the UK
Dickoré, W.B. & Kasperek, G. (2010). Species of Cotoneaster (Rosaceae, Maloideae) indigenous to, naturalising or commonly cultivated in Central Europe. Willdenowia 40: 13-45
Verloove, Filip. (2014). Het genus Cotoneaster in België. Dumortiera. 103. 3-29.
Fryer, J.; Hylmö, B. (2009). Cotoneasters: a comprehensive guide to shrubs for flowers, fruit, and foliage. Timber Press, Portland.
Just for fun, take a quick look at 10 urban plants currently on the increase across Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Our urban habitats are dynamic ones and when it comes to wildlife, things are always changing. This is perhaps most obvious in our wild and naturalised plants as new species arrive, others decline and our alteration of the landscape provides new opportunities for colonisation. While recording for ‘The Plants of Newcastle‘, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that certain plants are doing far better than others, and for a variety of reasons. Many of these are non-natives (neophytes) perfectly suited to the urban environment, while others are a tad more surprising. Just for fun, I thought we would take a look at ten of the most obvious examples here.
Guernsey Fleabane (Erigeron sumatrensis)
A tall, annual herb of well-drained, disturbed soils in gardens, along roadsides and in paved areas, this conspicuous plant is doing really well at present. A native of South America, it was first recorded in the UK from Guernsey in 1961 and has since spread across much of Southern England. Currently marching North, it is now fairly widespread in areas of the midlands and along the West coast but until recently, was rather rare this far North. This now appears to be changing and, since the first Newcastle record in 2009, appears to be expanding rapidly.
So far, I have observed Guernsey Fleabane from several city centre squares, as well as multiple suburban areas. In places such as Heaton and Walker, it even appears to be overtaking Canadian Fleabane (Erigeron canadensis) as the most numerous small-flowered species present.
Like Canadian Fleabane, Guernsey Fleabane has very small seeds which as easily dispered on the wind. If trends in the South are anything to go by, I suspect it will go on to become one of our most familiar urban plants.
First recorded in Newcastle in 2012 by Quentin Groom, Narrow-leaved Ragwort shares a similar story to Guernsey Fleabane. First recorded on our shores in 1836, for a long time, this attractive plant remained a scarce casual occurring as a contaminant of wool shoddy. Since 1999, however, it has rapidly expanded along transport links (much like the story of Oxford Ragwort) and is now a familiar sight across much of Southern England and the Midlands.
Like the former species, this plant becoming increasingly prominent in the North at present and in Newcastle, is now appearing in a range of urbanised habitats, from recently disturbed roadsides to neglected front gardens. Interestingly, Narrow-leaved Ragwort appears most abundant in squares adjacent to the River Tyne; though for how long this will last I am unsure.
Now this is an interesting one. A native of Australia and New Zealand Pirri-pirri-bur has been known from the Northumberland coast for many years. Here, it’s tenacious seed heads cause havoc for people and wildlife alike and are much maligned by land managers. While it is known to inhabit inland sites locally, most notably forestry tracks in the uplands, it is seldom thought of as an urban plant. Indeed, with only two recent records from Newcastle, we seem to have escaped it thus far.
Fast forward to the present day and this appears to be changing. I have now recorded Pirri-pirri from several habitats vastly different to the dunes in which I am accustomed to seeing it. Among these, relic heathland, wooded tracks, a church lawn in Gosforth and even on gravel driveways in High Heaton. While it is far from abundant, yet, I suspect this one may continue to increase in the future.
I do wonder if these initial colonies have their roots in populations on the coast, perhaps brought in by a passing dog or unsuspecting hiker? Either way, Pirri-pirri may go on to become one of our most unwelcome urban plants.
An attractive tree from Corsica and Southern Italy, Italian Alder was first introduced to the UK in 1820. To this day, this species remains a popular plant in landscaping and municipal planting schemes, a factor very much evident in Newcastle with rows of planted trees present on high streets and roadsides in various corners of the city.
Italian Alder is known to set prolific quantities of seed. This, coupled with a tolerance of dry, low-nutrient soils, means it is able to colonise a range of disturbed habitats in the city. Presently, it is particularly numerous along rail links and across areas of brownfield land in the city but increasingly, is also appearing as a weed in residential areas. In Heaton alone, I have noted this tenacious tree growing in pavements, gutters and even garden lawns, and the same appears to be true in Walker, Shieldfield and other districts.
As one of my favourite groups of plants, I had to include a cotoneaster on this list somewhere. Now, several species of alien cotoneaster are already rather widespread in Newcastle but until recently, Hjelmqvist’s Cotoneaser was not one of them. With just a single 2012 record from Ouseburn, it appears that it was historically quite scarce. This is certainly not the case now and this year alone, I have recorded this attractive species from eleven separate city monads, in a whole host of habitats. Like most cotoneasters, this one does well in stonework, walls and structures but also occurs in urban hedges, rail sidings, woodland and derelict land.
Like many cotoneasters, this species is popular cultivation and owing to the copious fruits it produces in autumn, is a draw to passing birds. It is for this reason that it has been able to spread so widely in Newcastle and is why it is usually observed as isolated plants. As I write this, a fine example of Hjelmqvist’s Cotoneaser is also growing under my garden bird feeders. Not planted, it surely must have arrived with a visiting thrush or pigeon.
The first birdseed alien on this list and one which represents perfectly a group of plants on the increase as a result of bird feeding.
A native of North America, Ragweed has been recorded as a casual in the UK since 1829 and is known to occur predominately as a contaminant of arable produce including animal feed, grain and oil seed. Nationwide, it occurs in a whole manner of habitats where its spread is limited only by harsh frosts.
With just a single record in Newcastle prior to the current survey at Walker Riverside in 2006, it seems this species has always been somewhat scarce locally. Is this changing? Well, in 2023 alone I have recorded it from four separate locations, three of which were urban parks where it finds a home in lakeside stonework close to where locals feed waterfowl. I have also observed it growing within pavements in Heaton, albeit close to bird feeders.
Interestingly, I first observed Ragweed in Leazes Park, one of the three sites mentioned above, in 2021. It has occurred there every year since but whether this is the result of continued introductions or evidence of a self-sustaining population, I am uncertain. Either way, it seems to be on the rise.
The first alien grass on our list now with Greater Quaking-grass, a striking species native to the Mediterranean.. This annual grass is a fairly common sight in gardens and, seeding prolifically, is now common in Southern parts of the UK where it inhabits a variety of dry, bare habitats from pavements to arable margins. The naturalised range of this species does not extend into Northern England and, in my limited experience, populations here tend to be isolated and located close to gardens.
Prior to 2020, there were just three records of Greater Quaking-grass in Newcastle, notably coming from Jesmond and Heaton. In the latter of these, this grass is now a common component of our urban flora occurring on wall-tops, within gardens and across areas of pavement. Furthermore, it is now showing signs of spread with records from roadsides in High Heaton, Walker and St. Peter’s Basin. Given the trend elsewhere in the UK, I suspect we’ll be seeing much more of it in the future.
If the story of Briza maxima is a successful one, that of Water Bent is one of rampant success. Known as one of the ‘fastest spreading’ plants in the UK, this native of Southern Europe first arrived on our shores, or at least Guernsey’s, in 1860. For quite some time, it failed to move beyond the Channel Islands but in recent years, has undertaken a rapid advance North through Britain. It first reached Newcastle in 1981 but was not recorded again until 2022. In the time since (a mere two years), it has gone on to colonise several parts of the city and is now a familiar site along roads, wall bases and paved areas in Heaton, Jesmond, Manors and even in the heart of the city centre.
With isolated records now from Scotland, this plant is still very much on the move; though it still has some consolidating to do in Newcastle. Still, if the last two years are anything to go by, numbers can only go up.
Now, given that neophytes have dominated this list so far, you would be forgiven for thinking that alien species were the only ones doing well in our urban species. This is definitely not the case and several native species are also on the increase, including those introduced for their aesthetic value. Foremost among these in Newcastle seems to be Small Scabious, a species associated with hills, slopes and banks on calcareous soils elsewhere in the country. In South Northumberland, it is a rather rare plant, so much so that it warrants a place on the county’s Rare Plant Register; though in Newcastle at least, this is changing.
Small Scabious appears to be a regular component of seed mixes used by councils on derelict ground and poor soils. It has been introduced to several sites locally including Walker, Scotswood and Gosforth in this exact fashion. All of this means that its natural distribution, if indeed it was present locally, has been greatly masked. In total, I have now recorded this species from around a dozen squares where it seems to persist and spread quite readily on former industrial soils.
A nice one to finish on and an example of a native species exhibiting a welcome spread into Newcastle’s urban habitats. Formerly a very rare plant, Bee Orchid is becoming increasingly abundant in a whole host of habitats across the city, from urban lawns and roadside verges to brownfield. It has now spread to such an extent that it is the orchid most likely to be encountered in built-up habitats.
Formerly a species of Southern counties, Bee Orchid was first recorded within the city in 2002. Since then, records have grown in frequency, reaching a peak in 2023 wherein it was encountered city-wide, including on a city centre lawn. This spread is thought to be a result of favourable climatic conditions and if this year is anything to go by, Bee Orchids will be brightening up our city’s greenspaces for many years to come.
Get started identifying the naturalised cotoneasters likely to be recorded in Northumberland and several others that may occur here soon.
Over the past year, I’ve been down a rabbit hole with cotoneasters. With around 80 species now recorded in a wild and naturalised state across the UK, these alien shrubs are quickly becoming a familiar part of our flora. This is especially true in urban areas where with a little help from our feathered friends, they can turn up just about anywhere.
The problem with cotoneasters is that many species look awfully alike and while there are several more abundant and easily recognisable species, identifying them is still somewhat of a pain. Adding to this, accessible information to aid in identifying cotoneasters is rather scattered. Cotoneasters: A Comprehensive Guide to Shrubs for Flowers, Fruit, and Foliage by Fryer and Hylmo (2009) is by far the best resource available but I find, is much more suitable for checking specimens at home than in the field. Likewise with Stace! Websites such as The Flora of East Anglia and Alien Plants of Belgium are useful too but cover only small groups of species, albeit with lots of useful insight.
To help with identifying cotoneasters in the field, recently I set about creating a resource that was a little more portable. Having stumbled across this fabulous crib for cotoneasters in Hampshire by John Norton and Phil Pullen (2016), whose basic format I have unashamedly borrowed here, I have since created an account for all the cotoneaster species currently known in Northumberland, and further species known from elsewhere in the UK which may turn up soon.
The accounts here are summarised from Fryer and Hylmo (2009) with some additions from other resources. In many cases, features have been checked against plants in the wild or those currently growing in our yard here in Newcastle. Rather than stick to known sections and series within the genus, I have also tried to group species by shared features noticeable in the field e.g. bullate leaves or tomentose undersides. Whether this is helpful remains to be seen.
Version one of the resource can be downloaded below but remember, this is a work in progress and I am no expert. Still, I hope a few botanists out there may find it useful.
Recently, I’ve been taking a closer look at wild and naturalised cotoneasters in Newcastle. Here’s what I’ve found so far, from an amateur’s perspective.
Cotoneasters are a tricky bunch. Over 70 species have been recorded growing in a naturalised state in the UK, with new ones popping up all the time. Of these, many look remarkably similar, with even the ‘standard’ urban cotoneasters such as Wall Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis) having several lookalikes. Perhaps this is the reason I have willfully ignored them until now.
Despite the difficulty associated with identifying them, cotoneasters are an interesting bunch – thuggish invaders or successful urban colonists, depending on who you speak to. Aided and abetted by birds, these tenacious shrubs seem to appear everywhere from gravel driveways and walls to woodland, scrub, and hedgerows. A factor that makes them an interesting group to look at. Keen to learn about those growing on my doorstep, that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do over recent months.
Please note that while I am getting better at documenting my finds, I was lacking many of the photos required for this post. I have included images from the fabulous resource that is Saxifraga to illustrate key species.
Urban Cotoneasters
So far, I have recorded 11 species of cotoneaster growing in a wild state on walks close to home. Some of these are well-known locally, with others being scarce or poorly recorded. Some initial notes on these are shared below…
Tree Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster frigidus)
C. frigidus seems to be one of the more conspicuous cotoneasters in the city. It is fairly widespread as a planted ornamental, commonly along bridleways and roadsides. It can also be seen planted in parks, including an impressive specimen in the coalfield area of Jesmond Dene.
Given how often it is planted, it is perhaps little surprise that this species readily escapes and it some places, it can be difficult to tell exactly what is wild and what isn’t. Still, I have recorded it growing wild at several sites.
Besides its large and impressive size, the large, willow-like leaves on this species sport veins which are faint and hardly impressed. The latter is a useful aid when telling it apart from two other species mentioned below.
This is a contender for Newcastle’s commonest cotoneaster. Now I know what to look for, I am seeing it everywhere from rocky riversides and wasteground to hedgerows and more natural habitats. C. salicifolius is widely planted locally in amenity beds and it isn’t uncommon to observe several smart-looking cultivars. It appears to spread wildly with a little help from our feathered friends.
This species is generally smaller than C. frigidus and often is more of a shrub than a tree. Unlike the former, it is also evergreen and its smaller leaves boast strongly impressed veins.
A hybrid between C. frigidus and C. salicifolius this cotoneaster is scantly recorded in a wild state locally. It is popular in cultivation and can be seen in a planted state in several places around the city. That said, it grows wild too and records on three occasions relate to seemingly wild specimens growing in close proximity to both parent species. I imagine there are a lot more out there to be found.
C. x watereri is intermediate between its parents in having large leaves which as moderately impressed and often turn reddish in winter. The leaves also remain hairy beneath which does not seem to be the case in C. salicifolius. It is a fairly large, erect plant – often closer to C. frigidus than C. salicifolius in my very limited experience.
Franchet’s Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster franchetii)
One of the cotoneasters with fuzzy white undersides to their leaves and I confess the one to which I assigned all such plants without much thought previously. C. franchetii is extremely common in amenity planting, used everywhere from roundabouts to city car parks, and unsurprisingly, is one of the more widely recorded species in the North East. That said, two of the three specimens I have stumbled across recently haven’t been C. franchetii at all (more on that soon)!
So far, I have found this species a couple of times growing as both a pavement plant and in scrubby patches. The white underside to the leaves and white fuzz on the new twigs give it a distinctive look and at least put you in the right ballpark. The leaves are also small (25-37mm) as opposed to the species below.
Pottering along one of the local bridleways in late 2022, I stopped to record what I assumed was C. franchetii growing in a shady patch beneath some tall trees. I did notice it had ‘large’ leaves but thought little of it other than snatching a sample to key out later. It wasn’t until I stumbled across the fab Alien Plants of Belgium website that I realised that these ‘large’ leaves likely meant a completely different ID entirely and a new county record.
C. sternianus looks a lot like C. franchetti but sports noticeably longer leaves – 37-49mm as opposed to the 25-37mm of the latter. Mine came in at an average of 42mm. It can also possess an additional fourth nutlet (seed) inside the fruit; though the berries I collected all had three.
I have since found this species masquerading as C. franchetti again at Walker and feel fairly confident with the ID. Still, I’ll make a point of returning to see both in flower. This species is known fairly widely in the UK, so perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised.
Hollyberry Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster bullatus)
Along with C. salicifolius and C. franchetii, this is one of the more widely recorded cotoneasters. It is commonly planted and tends to pop up in semi-shady areas such as woodland, parkland, scrub, and hedgerows. It may be that C. bullatus is over-recorded locally, including by myself, as further reading reveals it a lookalike species, Cotoneaster rehderi, is more abundant in other areas of the country. Still, some recent records are definitely this one – the leaves were too small for rehderi.
A large, attractive cotoneaster, this species has bullate (blistered) leaves owing to the strongly impressed veins on the upper leaf surface. It also has a more spreading habit than its cousin which will no doubt help when looking closer at this group in 2023.
Not previously recorded in our region, C. lacteus has been recorded widely but infrequently in other parts of the country. It is a rather lovely-looking plant and as such, is regularly planted as part of amenity schemes. With the aid of birds, it is known to occasionally appear in a wild state, particularly in hedgerows and ruderal patches.
During a walk with the Northumberland Botany Group in late 2022, we gathered samples from a self-sown cotoneaster growing beside a busy public bridleway at Walker. These were later revealed to be nice species – the first recorded locally.
C. lacteus is a tall plant (to 8m) and sports fairly large oval leaves with strongly impressed veins. These are broadest towards the tip and remain on the plant year-round. While fruiting, it boasts prominent bunches of shiny red berries which as round in shape.
One of the most widely recorded naturalised cotoneasters in the UK, C. simonsii is very popular in planting schemes. It is known to readily self-seed into the wild where it prefers dry habitats including walls, railway sidings, and brownfield. It has also been recorded from woodland.
Isolated specimens of this species appear fairly frequently in Newcastle, in a whole manner of habitats. It is interesting to note, however, that it is seldom present in any great number.
C. simonsii is a stiffly erect, bushy species growing to around 3m. Its leaves are deciduous (supposedly), shiny, and fairly small (1.5-2.5cm). They are also appressed hairy with greenish undersides.
The omnipresent urban cotoneaster and by far the commonest low-growing species found in the city. Planted frequently in gardens and bird-sown on walls, in pavements, and across rough, stony areas, C. horizontalis gets everywhere. To date, I have found it in around twenty monads within the city.
This species is best identified by the ‘herringbone’ pattern of its branches which form distinctive, fan-like sprays. It is important to note that there are several other low-growing, small-leaved species which can cause confusion. The leaves of C. horizontalis are small (to 9mm), leathery and acute at the apex.
For the past few years, a small cotoneaster growing as a bird-sown specimen in a hedge here in Heaton has been annoying me no end. It looked, at least at first, like C. horozontalis but appeared scruffier in habit and had larger leaves. Well, last weekend I finally plucked up the courage to take a look. I’m glad I did!
With slightly larger and clearly rounded, mucronate leaves, my specimen here in Heaton was undoubtedly C. hjelmqvistii instead. A species known from only one other site in Newcastle but likely flying under the radar owing to its similarity to the former species.
C. microphyllus is another species I encountered for the first time in 2022. Anecdotally, it seems to be one of the more numerous small-leaved cotoneasters locally. So far, I have observed it growing in stonework and in rough grassland on the banks of the Tyne.
Another species commonly planted in amenity schemes, this is a mound-forming shrub that grows to around 1m. It is evergreen with particularly small leaves that are both dark green and shiny above, and grey-green below. The undersides are also hairy, at least initially.
Cotoneaster x suecicus (Cotoneaster conspicuus x dammeri)
And so we come to our latest urban find. Cotoneaster x suecicus, including its cultivar ‘Coral Beauty’ are extremely popular plants in cultivation. It is perhaps little wonder then that it has escaped to colonise a small patch of stonework beside the Ouseburn in Newcastle. Even if it hasn’t been recorded locally before now, there will no doubt be more of it out there.
This is another species with small, evergreen leaves which are noticeably smaller than its parent, C. dammeri. Its leaves are shiny with clearly visible veins which are scarcely impressed. The plant shown below also demonstrated the shrubby, arching habit which helps set it apart from other similar cotoneasters.
With over 70 cotoneaster species recorded wild in the UK, the chances are that there are far more out there for me to find in Newcastle. A few of these have been recorded locally in the past and others have been spotted elsewhere in the North East. They may or may not turn up but now that I’ve gone down this particular rabbit hole, the hunt will continue.
