Cotoneaster cambricus

Description

Cotoneaster cambricus (wild cotoneaster; Welsh: Creigafal y Gogarth "rock apple of Gogarth") is a species of Cotoneaster endemic to the Great Orme peninsula in north Wales. It is the only species of Cotoneaster native to the British Isles. It has never been found naturally at any other location. In the past, it was included within the widespread eastern European Cotoneaster integerrimus, but differs from that in genetic profile. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) tall and 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) broad. The leaves are oval-acute, 1–4 centimetres (0.39–1.57 in) long, green and thinly pubescent above, densely pubescent below and on the leaf margin, with white hairs. The flowers are produced in corymbs of one to four (occasionally up to seven) together in early to mid spring (earlier than on C. integerrimus), each flower 3 millimetres (0.12 in) diameter, with five white to pale pink petals. The fruit is a red pome 7–11 millimetres (0.28–0.43 in) diameter, containing two or three seeds. The seed has a very low germination rate.