Cotoneaster simonsii
NPPA pest plant
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
Khasia berry
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Flower colours
Red/Pink, White
Detailed description
Deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub to 4 m. Stems erect or slightly arching; young shoots densely brown-tomentose, later hairless brownish-grey. Mature stems often covered in sooty mould. Leaves 13-25 x 7-15 mm; with thin hairs above when young, later hairless and shining, paler green with long hairs below, usually crowded or bunched along stems. Flowers small, whitish to pale pink, in clusters of 1-4, Nov-Dec. Berries 5-10 mm long, shining orange-red or scarlet.
Similar taxa
Can be confused with C. franchetii and C. pannosus based on general foliage dimensions. But can be distinguished because of its deciduous habit, and flowers are only in clusters of 1-4, with upright white-pink petals.
Habitat
Terrestrial. Dry cool forest and shrubland up to 900 m., forest margins, dry rangeland, bluffs, rocky sites, slips, riverbeds. Potentially most cold dry open sites in New Zealand.
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Rosaceae
Ecology
Flowering
November, December
Fruiting
December to July
Year naturalised
1958
Origin
Burma
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Tolerances
Very tolerant of damp and drought, cold, and a wide range of soils. Semi shade-tolerant.
Life cycle and dispersal
Perennial. very long lived. Reproduces from seed. Stumps often re-sprout. Many viable seeds are contained in each berry. Birds distribute seeds widely
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
UPL: Obligate Upland
Rarely is a hydrophyte, almost always in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
cotoneaster: From cotoneus an old Latin name for the quince, and possibly aster, corruption of adinstar ‘resembling’, i.e. quince-like
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
Manaaki Whenua Online Interactive Key
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
COTSIM