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Cotoneaster
Environmental Weed
Botanical name: Cotoneaster glaucophyllus
Source: Weeds CRC
Description
Originating in China, Cotoneaster is an evergreen shrub to 3m tall often used for hedges. Spineless stems with leaves up to 8cm long. Shiny green leaves with paler grey/green underside. Leaves have hair underside when young. Leaf tip has a short point. May have an autumn colouring of reddish leaves.
Tiny, white flowers in dense clusters, flowering spring to summer. Numerous conspicuous bunches of small, attractive orange to redberries (poisonous to humans) in autumn and winter.
Dispersal
Birds transport cotoneaster seeds over a wide area. Native birds and feral species such as common mynas eat the berries. Later the birds regurgitate the indigestible seeds, often far from where they ate the berries - this weed provides food for feral birds as well as invading the bush.
Impact on bushland
Several species of cotoneaster have become woody weeds, thriving in a wide range of conditions, soils and climates. Cotoneaster will grow virtually anywhere a bird drops the seeds. Thickets under tall trees displace local native species and shade the soil. Habitat is lost.
Control
Manual:
- These plants were once popular as hardy, fast growing hedges.
- Until replacement is possible, the hedges should be pruned before berries form.
- Cotoneaster can be dug out, and seedlings and small plants hand pulled.
- Responds readily to cutting and painting with a glyphosate based product.
See Manual Weed Control Techniques.
Chemical: Please contact your local control authority for advice on chemical control.
Similar species
Firethorn (Pyracantha species), also often used for hedgerows and now also a woody weed. A sprawling shrub with narrower leaves and long sharp thorns on the branches. Both have tiny white flowers and berries also range from yellow to orange to brilliant red.
Suggested alternatives
- Narrow-leaf Myrtle (Austromyrtus tenuifolia)
- Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) to 8m
- Lilly Pillies (Acmena smithii varieties) 1-10m
- Heath Banksia (Banksia ericifolia) 4m
- Rhododendrons
- Camellias
- Photinia for hedges
- Pomaderris - see the Look-a-likes booklet