Cotoneaster transens
Wiss. Z. Friedrich-Schiller-Univ. Jena, Math.-Naturwiss. Reihe 17(3): 337, fig. 4. 1968.
Shrubs or trees, 4–6 m. Stems loosely erect, spreading, stiff; branches spiraled, maroon, minutely verrucose, initially pilose-strigose. Leaves deciduous; petiole 4–6 mm, densely pilose-strigose; blade on sterile shoots elliptic, (35–)50–80(–103) x (13–)17–37(–42) mm, chartaceous, margins flat, base cuneate, veins 6–10, superficial or lightly sunken, apex acute or obtuse, abaxial surfaces color not recorded, villose-strigose, adaxial brownish green, soon green, dull, coating not recorded, flat between lateral veins, glabrate; fall leaves yellow. Inflorescences on fertile shoots 40–50 mm with 2–4 leaves, 10–25-flowered, lax. Pedicels 3–5 mm, densely pilose-strigose. Flowers 10–12 mm diam.; buds white; hypanthium cupulate, villose-strigose; sepals: margins villous, apex acute, surfaces sparsely villous; petals spreading, white, with large hair tuft; stamens (16–)20, filaments white, anthers black, styles 1 or 2. Pomes maroon to purple-black, obovoid to elliptic-obovoid, 9–12 × 9–10 mm, slightly shiny, glaucous, sometimes sparsely villous; sepals flat, margins glabrous, sparsely villous; navel slightly open; style remnants 9/10 from base. Pyrenes 1 or 2.
Phenology: Flowering Jun; fruiting Oct–Nov.
Habitat: Thickets
Elevation: 0–50 m
Distribution
Wash., Asia (China), introduced also in Europe.
Discussion
L. Lingdi and A. R. Brach (2003) synonymized Cotoneaster transens with C. glaucophyllus Franchet (as C. glaucophyllus var. glaucophyllus). Cotoneaster transens is a deciduous species with purple-black pomes and is not closely related to C. glaucophyllus, an evergreen species with smaller leaves, smaller red pomes, and smaller flowers, among other differences.
Selected References
None.