Cotoneaster apiculatus Rehd. & E. H. Wilson

Further study is necessary to determine the identity of Cotoneaster sichuanensis G. Klotz, which might be synonymous with this taxon.

Shrubs deciduous, erect, 1.5–2 m tall, irregularly branched. Branchlets dark grayish red to grayish brown, terete, initially strigose, glabrescent. Petiole 1–3 mm, initially pubescent, later glabrous; stipules caducous or partly persistent, linear-lanceolate, 2–3 mm, membranous; leaf blade suborbicular or orbicular-ovate, rarely broadly obovate, 6–15 × 5–13 mm, midvein and 2 pairs of lateral veins somewhat raised abaxially and slightly impressed adaxially, abaxially initially appressed strigose-pilose along veins, glabrate, adaxially lustrous, glabrous, base broadly cuneate or rounded, apex apiculate, rarely emarginate. Inflorescences 1-flowered. Pedicel short. Hypanthium glabrous or subglabrous abaxially. Sepals triangular, 1.5–2 mm and ca. as broad, apex shortly acuminate. Petals erect, pinkish, suborbicular, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Fruit solitary, erect, red, subglobose, 7–8 mm in diam., pyrenes (2 or)3. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct. 2n = 68*.

Gansu, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan.

Roadsides on slopes, forests, upland thickets, forest margins, open places, ditch sides, rocky cliffs; 1500--3300 m.

Cotoneaster apiculatus, the cranberry cotoneaster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is native to central China, and it has been introduced to various locales in Europe and the United States. A rabbit-tolerant shrub reaching 3 ft (1 m) tall but spreading to 6 ft (2 m), and hardy in USDA zones 4 through 7, it is recommended for covering large areas. It is good on streambanks and slopes where erosion control is desired, as its branches will grow roots where they touch soil.