Woody > Cotoneaster > Cotoneaster divaricatus > Cotoneaster divaricatus
Cotoneaster divaricatus
spreading Cotoneaster
Origin: Cotoneaster divaricatus is native to China, specifically from the central and western parts of the country. The plant is naturalized in the southern part of England and has been brought over to north America as a popular landscape shrub.
Mike's
Opinion
"
The plant Cotoneaster divaricatus is a great beginner shrub. It is easy to care for as it is extremely adaptable. The plant looks good throughout the year and has attractive fruit and flowers, giving a nice pop of colour to any garden. One thing about the plant that’s not great quality is that the flowers can smell when in bloom, but rabbits do not eat this plant so they are not a worry.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Rosaceae |
| Genus |
| Cotoneaster |
| Species |
| divaricatus |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (deciduous) |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 4 - 9 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 5 - 10 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-15) - 20 |
| Temperature (°F) |
| 5 - 68 |
| Height |
| 1.5 - 2 m |
| Spread |
| 1.8 - 2.4 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| Cotoneaster divaricatus is a woody deciduous shrub from the Rosaceae family. This plant has small groups of pink flowers in the spring and has small round attractive bright red fruit in the fall. Cotoneaster divaricatus is fast growing in width and is tolerable to most soils. |
| Landscape |
| Cotoneaster divaricatus is a popular landscape hedge; this is because it has pretty flowers in the early spring and eye-catching red fruit in the fall. The hedge is used for many different landscapes uses, such as urban plantings. These hedges are salt tolerant and wind tolerant, making them a good hedge for urban areas by roads and sidewalks. Cotoneaster divaricatus can be planted in mass groupings and makes for a good screen hedge. This plant is also used for commercial uses and accent plants, as it is an attractive plant. |
| Cultivation |
| This plant is extremely tolerant to poor soil conditions, such as very dry conditions, sandy, and clay soils. The plant is salt and pollution tolerant. Cotoneaster divaricatus prefers well drained or dry soil to wet soil. Prefers partial shade over full sun, but if it gets too much shade it will not bare fruit. |
| Shape |
| Cotoneaster divaricatus is wider than it is tall. The plant has somewhat weeping branches and is an upright shape. |
| Growth |
| Fast |
| ID Characteristic |
| The 3 biggest ID characteristics useful for identifying this plant are the small red fruit it produces in the fall, the small attractive but smelly white five petal flowers, and the weeping like branches. |
| Pests |
| No notable pests or diseases. |
| Habitat |
| The Cotoneaster divaricatus is able to grow in many different types of habitats, such as rocky conditions, heavy clay soil, forests, and sandy soils. It is a hardy plant and can survive short periods of colder temperatures. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| The bark on the Cotoneaster divaricatus is smooth on old branches and trunks. The colour of the bark can be grey, red, and/or brown. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| The buds on the plant have scales overlapping each other. |
| Leaf Description |
| The leaves on this plant are simple in an alternating pattern arrangement with an elliptic shape. Leaves are flat and smooth, with a dark green colour on the top and a lighter green underneath. The leaves are small, about 1-2 cm long and only 0.5-1 cm wide, containing 3 or 4 vain pairs. |
| Flower Description |
| The flowers on a cotoneaster divaricatus have a rotting smell to them, attracting lots of bees and other pollinators. The flowering period for this plant starts early spring around May until June. The flowers are small, around 0.64 cm wide with 5 petals. The flower colour is a white or light pink. |
| Fruit Description |
| The fruit on this plant is round and small, around 1 cm long. The fruit is a bright red colour and has a fleshy texture. It attracts lots of birds and insects. The fruit is ripe through the months of September and October. |
| Colour Description |
| The colour of Cotoneaster divaricatus depends on the season. In the spring the plant has dark green leaves and is covered with white and pink flowers with brown bark. In the summer the plant is a shiny dark green with lighter green undersides of the leaves. In the fall the shrub leaves are a beautiful red orange colour, and the plant is covered with bright red fruit with reddish brown bark. In the winter the leaves all drop, and the bark is a greyish brown colour. |
| Texture Description |
| Cotoneaster divaricatus is a fine textured plant in the spring, summer, and fall. In the winter the plant is more of a medium texture. |
| Notable Specimens |
| The Chicago Botanical Gardens have one of these plants in their collection. 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois. |
| Propagation |
| This plant hybridizes freely. The best time to harvest the seed is in the late fall in colder temperatures. The seed is quick to germinate in 15 C temperatures, timing anywhere from 1-18 months or up to 2 years. When the seeds are stored at a lower temperature they germinate much faster. |
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