# Wall Cotoneaster (*cotoneaster horizontalis*)

The Wall Cotoneaster is a fun plant that grows low to the ground, creating a beautiful green carpet! It produces tiny red berries that many birds love to eat.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** It commonly grows in gardens, rocky slopes, and walls.
- **Also known as:** Horizontal Cotoneaster, Rock Cotoneaster, Trailing Cotoneaster

![Wall Cotoneaster](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Cotoneaster_horizontalis.JPG&width=800)

Photo: CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cotoneaster_horizontalis.JPG)

## Appearance

The Wall Cotoneaster has distinctive, flat branches that often grow in a herringbone pattern. Its small, glossy dark green leaves turn reddish-purple in autumn, complemented by tiny pinkish-white flowers and bright, long-lasting red berries.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Rosales
- **Family:** Rosaceae
- **Genus:** Cotoneaster

## Interesting facts

- Birds adore its berries, which can stay on the branches all through winter, adding color!
- Gardeners often use its criss-cross branches to make beautiful living patterns on walls!
- Its scientific name "horizontalis" means it loves to grow flat, like it's trying to hug the ground!
- Some Wall Cotoneasters can live for many decades, becoming very old and wise plants!

## Special abilities

- **Soil Protector:** Its dense, spreading growth forms a thick mat over the ground, helping to hold soil in place and stop erosion during rain.
- **Berry Beacon:** This plant produces bright red berries that attract birds, who then help spread its seeds far and wide to new places.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-60 cm
- **Spread:** 100-200 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen from its small flowers.
- **Eaten by:** Blackbird (*Turdus merula*) — Feeds on its bright red berries, aiding seed dispersal.
- **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — Visits flowers for nectar, aiding in plant reproduction.

## Traits

- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Wall Cotoneaster?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Wall Cotoneaster?

30-60 cm

### How wide does Wall Cotoneaster spread?

100-200 cm

### How big are the flowers on Wall Cotoneaster?

0.5-1 cm

### When does Wall Cotoneaster bloom?

Late spring to early summer

### Is Wall Cotoneaster edible?

No

### Is Wall Cotoneaster toxic?

Mild

### What is Wall Cotoneaster's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Reed College Parkway](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/reed-college-parkway) — Oregon, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Wall Cotoneaster: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wall-cotoneaster)