regnum-plantae:

Cotoneaster rehderi, Rosaceae

I went to check the progress of the extensive work my local park is undergoing, and I’ve noticed this plant is now gone, so this post is in memory of that cotoneaster rehderi and the last photos I took of it last autumn. This deciduous shrub with long, arched branches is native to the humid mountainous woodlands of SW China, and was introduced to the rest of the world over a century ago, often becoming naturalised due to the high number of small and fleshy red pomes it produces, eaten by birds in winter when other foods are scarce. 

The corrugated aspect of the leaves, which are larger than in many other cotoneaster species commonly used as ground/wall cover and in borders, is a defining trait this species shares with the very similar C. bullatus, (bullatus= covered in blisters, in reference to the leaves). They are less common here than many other species and cultivars, and hard to tell apart, so I’m not too sure myself, mostly due to lack of resources on what distinguishes them when growing in the north of the UK. An interesting fact is that C. rehderi seems to generally prefer alkaline, rocky soils if given a choice, but I found it growing in neutral, heavy clay and it didn’t seem bothered at all.