Cotoneaster cambricus
Encyclopedia
Cotoneaster cambricus is a species of Cotoneaster
endemic to the Great Orme
peninsula in north Wales
. It is the only species of Cotoneaster native to the British Isles
. It has never been found naturally at any other location. In the past, it was included within the widespread eastern European Cotoneaster integerrimus
, but differs from that in genetic profile.
It is a deciduous
shrub
growing to 1.5 m tall and 2 m broad. The leaves
are oval-acute, 1–4cm long, green and thinly pubescent above, densely pubescent below and on the leaf margin, with white hairs. The flower
s are produced in corymbs of one to four (occasionally up to seven) together in early to mid spring (earlier than on C. integerrimus), each flower 3 mm diameter, with five white to pale pink petals. The fruit
is a red pome
7–11 mm diameter, containing two or three seed
s. The seed has a very low germination rate.
, with only six plants known in the wild, which are not regenerating naturally. This number has been supplemented in recent years by an additional 11 cultivated plants, grown from cuttings and seeds. Reintroduction has so far only had limited success; the 11 additional are the only survivors of 33 plants grown and planted out. The Biodiversity Action Plan
for the species calls for this to be increased to 100 plants by 2030. Specimens are also cultivated in a number of botanical garden
s. Historically, the species was much more abundant on the Great Orme when it was discovered in 1783. The population was reduced in the 19th century by collectors deliberately digging plants up for their gardens, and more recently by overgrazing
by sheep, feral goat
s, and rabbit
s, and by invasion by seedlings of other species of Cotoneaster arising from cultivated plants in gardens in nearby towns. It has full legal protection under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
.
Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster is a genus of woody plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to the Palaearctic region , with a strong concentration of diversity in the genus in the mountains of southwestern China and the Himalayas...
endemic to the Great Orme
Great Orme
The Great Orme is a prominent limestone headland on the north coast of Wales situated in Llandudno. It is referred to as Cyngreawdr Fynydd in a poem by the 12th century poet Gwalchmai ap Meilyr...
peninsula in north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is the only species of Cotoneaster native to the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. It has never been found naturally at any other location. In the past, it was included within the widespread eastern European Cotoneaster integerrimus
Cotoneaster integerrimus
Cotoneaster integerrimus is a species of Cotoneaster native to central and eastern Europe and southwest Asia, from southern Belgium and eastern France south to Italy, and east through Germany to the Balkans, northern Turkey, the Crimea, the Caucasus and northern Iran; plants in Spain may also...
, but differs from that in genetic profile.
It is a deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing to 1.5 m tall and 2 m broad. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are oval-acute, 1–4cm long, green and thinly pubescent above, densely pubescent below and on the leaf margin, with white hairs. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are produced in corymbs of one to four (occasionally up to seven) together in early to mid spring (earlier than on C. integerrimus), each flower 3 mm diameter, with five white to pale pink petals. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a red pome
Pome
In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae.A pome is an accessory fruit composed of one or more carpels surrounded by accessory tissue...
7–11 mm diameter, containing two or three seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s. The seed has a very low germination rate.
Status
Cotoneaster cambricus is critically endangeredEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
, with only six plants known in the wild, which are not regenerating naturally. This number has been supplemented in recent years by an additional 11 cultivated plants, grown from cuttings and seeds. Reintroduction has so far only had limited success; the 11 additional are the only survivors of 33 plants grown and planted out. The Biodiversity Action Plan
Biodiversity Action Plan
A Biodiversity Action Plan is an internationally recognized program addressing threatened species and habitats and is designed to protect and restore biological systems. The original impetus for these plans derives from the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity...
for the species calls for this to be increased to 100 plants by 2030. Specimens are also cultivated in a number of botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s. Historically, the species was much more abundant on the Great Orme when it was discovered in 1783. The population was reduced in the 19th century by collectors deliberately digging plants up for their gardens, and more recently by overgrazing
Overgrazing
Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, or by overpopulations of native or non-native wild animals.Overgrazing reduces the...
by sheep, feral goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, and rabbit
European Rabbit
The European Rabbit or Common Rabbit is a species of rabbit native to south west Europe and north west Africa . It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity...
s, and by invasion by seedlings of other species of Cotoneaster arising from cultivated plants in gardens in nearby towns. It has full legal protection under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom and was implemented to comply with the Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds...
.