Habitat

• native to central China
• hardy to zone 5

Habit and Form

• semi-evergreen, small shrub
• 1.5' tall and up to 6' wide
• prostrate, groundcover-like shrub
• fast growth rate
• fine texture

Summer Foliage

• alternate leaf arrangement
• simple, small leaves
• elliptic leaf shape
• 1.25" long by 0.5" wide
• dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• purplish winter color

Flowers

• white flowers
• blooms in late May
• flowers are small, but in abundance are showy

Fruit

• red small, pome fruits
• 0.25" in diameter
• held through winter
• ripen in September through October
• can be showy

Bark

• thin reddish brown stems
• pubescent stem tips
• stems have a fishbone pattern

Culture

• transplant from containers only because of sparse root system
• prefers well-drained, fertile soil
• wind tolerant
• pH adaptable
• full sun to partial shade
• prune tolerant

Landscape Use

• groundcover
• bank cover
• groupings or mass
• espalier
• for flowers or fruit effect

Liabilities

• bees are attractive to flowers
• fireblight
• leaf spot
• spider mites
• can look unkempt
• needs pruning

ID Features

• fishbone stem pattern
• red, pome fruits
• irregular growth habit
• long drooping branches
• alternate leaves
• pubescence on stem tips
• very small shrub

Propagation

• by seed
• cuttings, wood collected June through August

Cultivars/Varieties

'Coral Beauty' (also listed as 'Royal Beauty' and 'Pink Beauty') - A low, prostrate form growing to 2' tall and up to 6' wide in time. The foliage is a good glossy green and fruiting is profuse.

'Skogholm' - An older cultivar selected in Sweden. The habit is prostrate (to 1' tall) and fast-growing, with the plant able to cover a few feet laterally each year. Not as free-fruiting as 'Coral Beauty'.

'Streib's Findling' - A newer form seen in the trade, this plant is extremely prostrate, growing only to 8" tall and spreading to several feet along the ground. Foliage is not as glossy as 'Coral Beauty'.