Cotoneaster franchetii Bois, Rev. Hortic. 2: 380, 1902.
Section Franchetioides, series Franchetioides
Origin: China (Yunnan).
Presence in western Europe: Naturalized in France (Farille & al. 2010; pers. obs. author) and Great Britain (Stace 2010). Furthermore known from Austria, Germany, Ireland and Spain (Dickoré & Kasperek 2010).
Cultivation in Belgium and the Netherlands: “common” (De Koning & van den Broek 2009).
Comparative taxonomy: Cotoneaster franchetii is here accepted in a narrow sense, following Fryer & Hylmö (2009). Dickoré & Kasperek (2010) and Flora of China (Lingdi & Brach 2003) also accept this species but apply a broader species concept. Both subsume most species of Fryer & Hylmö’s (l.c.) series Franchetioides under Cotoneaster franchetii and even some species of section Acutifolii series Glomerulati (C. cinerascens (Rehder) Flinck & B. Hylmö and C. tengyuehensis Fryer & Hylmö). Cotoneaster sternianus is also tentatively included in C. franchetii by Dickoré & Kasperek l.c. Klotz (1957) reduces Cotoneaster mairei to synonymy of C. franchetii and accepts C. sternianus as a variety of the latter. These three species are obviously closely related.
Illustrations: Grevtsova (1999), Roloff & Bärtels (2006), De Koning & van den Broek (2009), Fryer & Hylmö (2009), Stace (2010). See also: http://www.british-wild-flowers.co.uk/C-Flowers/Cotoneaster,%20Franchet%27s.htm.
Cotoneaster franchetii is one of the commoner species in Belgium, in cultivation as well as in the wild. It seems to have increased a lot in recent times although it was perhaps not reliably documented prior to 2004 when it was found in abundance on a disused railway yard in Antwerpen (Zuid). It is now known from numerous and very widely scattered localities but perhaps more frequently in Flanders (especially in the climatologically milder coastal regions and in urban areas). Cotoneaster franchetii seems to be less hardy in Central Europe (Dickoré & Kasperek 2010) and this probably also holds true for large parts of Wallonia. It often occurs with single shrubs but dense, obviously naturalized populations are often encountered, mostly in scrub in coastal dunes (for instance in Witte Burg in Oostduinkerke or in Duinbos near De Haan). Furthermore abundantly naturalized on an abandoned railway yard in Antwerpen. It regularly occurs in natural habitats, especially in coastal dunes (including nature reserves).
Cotoneaster franchetii grows in a wide range of natural and artificial habitats but it always seems to be confined to dry, sun-exposed localities, often on calcareous substrate. It has been recorded in coastal scrub, in abandoned railway yards, by railway tracks, on top of old walls (including quay walls), in disused gravel pits, on the verge of clay pits, in wasteland, on coal mining heaps, etc. In 2011 also discovered on a sun-exposed calcareous slope adjoining the canal Kortrijk-Bossuit in Moen (a single shrub). It seems to be totally absent from woodland but has been recorded in a pollard willow in Tielt.
From most species currently found in the wild in Belgium Cotoneaster franchetii is usually readily distinguished by its (mostly) evergreen leaves with densely white-felted lower sides. However, it is much reminiscent of Cotoneaster sternianus and C. mairei (and other species from the series Franchetioides and Sterniani that have not been recorded yet in Belgium). From Cotoneaster sternianus (see also under that species) it is best distinguished on anther colour (pink to purple in C. franchetii vs. white with pink margins) and smaller and narrower leaves (25-37 x 13-19 mm vs. 37-49 x 20-28 mm). Cotoneaster mairei shares the small leaves with C. franchetii but it has white anthers, a few-flowered inflorescence (usually 3-7, vs. 5-15 flowers) and it usually has 2 stones per berry (vs. usually 3). Species from series Franchetioides and Sterniani are probably frequently confused but Cotoneaster franchetii and C. sternianus doubtlessly are by far the most widespread in cultivation (and in the wild). Cotoneaster franchetii can furthermore be mistaken with (forms of) the very variable C. dielsianus (see also Dickoré & Kasperek 2010). Both are distinguished in the table beneath:
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C. franchetii |
C. dielsianus |
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Leaves (semi-) evergreen, with acuminate apex |
Leaves deciduous, with acute apex |
|
Leaf lower side white tomentose |
Leaf lower side greyish tomentose |
|
Fruit orange-red, usually with 3 stones (rarely 2 or 4) |
Fruit red, usually with 4 stones (rarely 3 or 5) |
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Literature
De Koning J. & van den Broek (2009) Nederlandse Dendrologie (14th ed.). K.N.N.V.: 547 p.
Dickoré W.B. & Kasperek G. (2010) Species of Cotoneaster (Rosaceae, Maloideae) indigenous to, naturalising or commonly cultivated in Central Europe. Willdenowia 40: 13-45 [available online at: http://user.uni-frankfurt.de/~kasperek/papers/dickore_kasperek_2010.pdf].
Farille M.A., Zeller J., Jordan D., Charpin A. & Garraud L. (2010) Cotoneasters échappés de jardins en Haute-Savoie. Monde Pl. 501: 1-5.
Fryer J. & Hylmö B. (2009) Cotoneasters. A comprehensive guide to shrubs for flowers, fruit, and foliage. Timber Press, Portland-London: 344 p.
Grevtsova A.T. (1999) Atlas Cotoneasters. Cotoneaster (Medic.) Bauhin. Kiev, House Orchard, Truck-Garden: 372 p.
Klotz G. (1957) Übersicht über die in Kultur befindlichen Cotoneaster-Arten. Wiss. Z. Univ. Halle, Math.-Nat. 6(6): 945-982.
Lingdi L. & Brach A.R. (2003) Cotoneaster. In: Wu Z.Y. & Raven P.H. (eds.), Flora of China, vol. 9. Science Press, Beijing & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis: 85-108 [available online at: http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/PDF/PDF09/Cotoneaster.PDF].
Roloff A. & Bärtels A. (2006) Flora der Gehölze (2e Auflage). Ulmer, Stuttgart: 844 p.
Stace C. (2010) New Flora of the British Isles, 3th ed.: XXXII + 1232 p. Cambridge University Press.