Species

Cotoneaster simonsii

Etymology

Cotoneaster: From cotoneus an old Latin name for the quince, and possibly aster, corruption of adinstar 'resembling', i.e. quince-like

Common Name(s)

Khasia berry

Family

Rosaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

COTSIM

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Habitat

Terrestrial. Dry cool forest and shrubland up to 900 m., forest margins, dry rangeland, bluffs, rocky sites, slips, riverbeds. Potentially most cold dry open sites in New Zealand.

Features

Deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub to 4 m. Stems erect or slightly arching; young shoots densely brown-tomentose, later hairless brownish-grey. Mature stems often covered in sooty mould. Leaves 13-25 x 7-15 mm; with thin hairs above when young, later hairless and shining, paler green with long hairs below, usually crowded or bunched along stems. Flowers small, whitish to pale pink, in clusters of 1-4, Nov-Dec. Berries 5-10 mm long, shining orange-red or scarlet.

Similar Taxa

Can be confused with C. franchetii and C. pannosus based on general foliage dimensions. But can be distinguished because of its deciduous habit, and flowers are only in clusters of 1-4, with upright white-pink petals.

Flowering

November, December

Flower Colours

Red / Pink,White

Fruiting

December to July

Year Naturalised

1958

Origin

Burma

Reason For Introduction
Ornamental

Life Cycle Comments
Perennial. very long lived.

Reproduction
Reproduces from seed. Stumps often re-sprout.

Seed
Many viable seeds are contained in each berry.

Dispersal
Birds distribute seeds widely

Tolerances
Very tolerant of damp and drought, cold, and a wide range of soils. Semi shade-tolerant.

This page last updated on 18 Jan 2010