Franchet's cotoneaster

Cotoneaster franchetii, the Franchet's cotoneaster or orange cotoneaster, is an evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub in the Rosaceae family native to south-western China (Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet) and adjacent northern Myanmar and northern Thailand. It typically reaches up to 3 metres in height, with gracefully arching reddish-brown stems carrying small, oval to acute, alternate leaves 2 to 3.5 centimetres long that are glossy dark green above and densely white- to grey-felted on the underside. In late spring it bears clusters of small pink-budded flowers that open to white-and-pink five-petalled blooms, attractive to bees. These are followed in autumn by abundant ovoid, orange-red pomaceous fruits that persist into winter and are eaten and dispersed by birds. Widely planted as an ornamental hedge, the species has escaped cultivation and become locally invasive in parts of the British Isles, northern California and the Pacific Northwest of North America. Recent studies highlight its exceptional capacity to capture airborne particulate pollution.