Shrubs deciduous or semievergreen, procumbent, usually to 50 cm tall, sometimes taller, with horizontally spreading, distichously much branched stems. Branchlets blackish brown, terete, initially strigose, glabrous when old. Petiole 1-3 mm, pubescent; stipules caducous, brown, subulate or lanceolate, 2-4 mm, puberulous; leaf blade suborbicular or broadly elliptic, rarely obovate, 6-14 mm long, 4-9 mm wide, midvein raised abaxially and ± impressed adaxially, abaxially sparsely accumbent pubescent, adaxially glabrous, base cuneate, apex usually acute. Inflorescences 1-2-flowered. Pedicel short to nearly absent. Flowers 5-7 mm in diameter. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially sparsely pubescent. Sepals triangular, 1-1.5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, apex acute. Petals erect, pink, reddish, or whitish, 3-4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens ca. 12, shorter than petals. Ovary pilose apically; styles 2 or 3, free, not exceeding stamens. Fruit bright red, subglobose or ellipsoid, 5-7 mm in diameter, pyrenes 3, rarely 2.

Cotoneaster horizontalis Decne.:
Nepal (Asia)
China (Asia)

Cotoneaster horizontalis is occurring in Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang of China, Nepal.

Canada

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Plants with somewhat larger leaves, clearly and very strikingly variegated with white, have been described as Cotoneaster horizontalis var. variegatus Osborn (Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 72: 351. 1922). They are grown as ornamentals, particularly in rock gardens. 

 Specimens examined at A: China: Sichuan, 22 Jul 1928, W. P. Fang 1457; China: Sichuan, W of Kuan Hsien, 2438 m, 20 Jun 1908, E. H. Wilson 227.

Plants with somewhat larger leaves, clearly and very strikingly variegated with white, have been described as Cotoneaster horizontalis var. variegatus Osborn (Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 72: 351. 1922). They are grown as ornamentals, particularly in rock gardens.

Shrubs deciduous or semi-evergreen, procumbent, usually to 50 cm tall, sometimes taller, with horizontally spreading, distichously much branched stems. Branchlets blackish brown, terete, initially strigose, glabrous when old. Petiole 1–3 mm, pubescent; stipules caducous, brown, subulate or lanceolate, 2–4 mm, puberulous; leaf blade suborbicular or broadly elliptic, rarely obovate, 6–14 × 4–9 mm, midvein raised abaxially and ± impressed adaxially, abaxially sparsely accumbent pubescent, adaxially glabrous, base cuneate, apex usually acute. Inflorescences 1- or 2-flowered. Pedicel short to nearly absent. Flowers 5–7 mm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially sparsely pubescent. Sepals triangular, 1–1.5 × 1–2 mm, apex acute. Petals erect, pink, reddish, or whitish, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens ca. 12, shorter than petals. Ovary pilose apically; styles (2 or)3, free, not exceeding stamens. Fruit bright red, subglobose to ellipsoid, (3–)5–7 mm in diam.; pyrenes 3, rarely 2. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct. 2n = 51, 68.

Shrubs deciduous or semievergreen, procumbent, usually to 50 cm tall, sometimes taller, with horizontally spreading, distichously much branched stems. Branchlets blackish brown, terete, initially strigose, glabrous when old. Petiole 1–3 mm, pubescent; stipules caducous, brown, subulate or lanceolate, 2–4 mm, puberulous; leaf blade suborbicular or broadly elliptic, rarely obovate, 6–14 × 4–9 mm, midvein raised abaxially and ± impressed adaxially, abaxially sparsely accumbent pubescent, adaxially glabrous, base cuneate, apex usually acute. Inflorescences 1- or 2-flowered. Pedicel short to nearly absent. Flowers 5–7 mm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially sparsely pubescent. Sepals triangular, 1–1.5 × 1–2 mm, apex acute. Petals erect, pink, reddish, or whitish, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens ca. 12, shorter than petals. Ovary pilose apically; styles (2 or)3, free, not exceeding stamens. Fruit bright red, subglobose or ellipsoid, (3–)5–7 mm in diam., pyrenes 3, rarely 2. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct.

Cotoneaster acuminatus Lindley var. prostratus Hooker ex Decaisne, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. 10: 175. 1874.  

 Cotoneaster symonsii Loudon ex Koehne, Deut. Dendrol. 225. 1893, not C. simonsii Hort. ex Baker (1869). 

 Diospyros chaffanjonii H. Léveillé, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 12: 101. 1913.

Cotoneaster horizontalis var. horizontalis is close relative of Cotoneaster horizontalis var. perpusillus, but differs from the latter in its fruit subglobose, 5-7 mm in diameter , with 3 pyrenes, rarely only 2 (vs. ellipsoid, 3-4 mm in diameter, usually with 2 pyrens).

Growing in thickets, rocky slopes, dry mountains areas; 2000-3500 m.

Thickets, rocks, rocky slopes, dry mountain areas; 1500–3500 m. China (Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang), India, Nepal, Sikkim.

Thickets, rocks, rocky slopes, dry mountain areas; 1500--3500 m. Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Nepal].

Flowering from May to June; fruiting from September to October.

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked

Cotoneaster horizontalis was grown as ornamentals, particularly in rock gardens.