225. Himalayan Cotoneaster

Himalayan Cotoneaster, also known as Khasia Berry, is an naturalised  introduced shrub here at Leaning Oaks.  For the most part, it goes largely unnoticed on a thin soiled, dry slope in part shade.  This year however, the cold snap has come at exactly the right time to catch the foliage at the point of turning and the leaves have turned scarlet, making it stand out like a beacon in the woods. ( Cotoneaster simonsii) is native to the Himalayan mountains of India, Bhutan and Nepal and high elevations of Myanmar.  It is sometimes used as hedging material and grown for its dense growth and scarlet berries.  I have never seen it become an aggressive weed here, but it is considered such in some other places, particularly in Australia.