• Photo of Cotoneaster dammeri (Cotoneaster dammeris)

Plant Profile: Cotoneaster dammeri

Taxonomy: Cotoneaster dammeri

Names

Bearberry Cotoneaster

  • Photo of Cotoneaster dammeri (Cotoneaster dammeris)

Phonetic Spelling:koh-toh-nee-ASS-ter dah-MER-ee

Genus:Cotoneaster

Species:dammeri

Family:Rosaceae

Bearberry cotoneaster is a low-growing, spreading shrub that is either evergreen or semi-evergreen, typically reaching heights of 1 to 2 feet and widths of up to 6 feet. As it grows, its branches tend to root along the ground. In spring, it produces white flowers, which give way to red berries that can last through the winter. The foliage transforms into shades of reddish-bronze to purple in the fall. This plant thrives in well-drained soils and is versatile enough to adapt to different soil types.

It is particularly effective for use in rock gardens and on low banks, serving as a natural solution for erosion control. Once established, it demonstrates drought resistance and can quickly cover a designated area. Regular pruning may be necessary to maintain a tidy appearance.

Quick Identification Tips:

Potential Issues: Susceptible to lace bug infestations and spider mites, especially in dry conditions.

Cotoneaster dammeri Feature Summary

Cotoneaster dammeri Image Gallery

Tags

#evergreen
#full sun tolerant
#drought tolerant
#berries
#erosion control
#stream banks
#groundcover
#naturalizes
#rock gardens
#naturalized area
#fantz
#pomes
#rock walls
#bird friendly
#butterfly friendly
#partial shade tolerant

Similar Plants

Cotoneaster dammeri is often confused with:

Cotoneaster dammeri Feature Summary

Attributes
Tibet to Central China
Attracts birds, butterflies
Textural
Defines Paths
Fruit
1-4 inch red berries with a 5-pointed star at the end appear in summer and persist into winter. The crop is sometimes small.
Red/Burgundy
1-3 inches
1-3 inches
Flowers
5 petaled 1/2 inch white flowers with purple anthers
Spring
Summer
4-5 petals/rays
< 1 inch
Leaves
1 1/4 inch long and 5/8 inch wide glossy green leaves have gray-green undersides. Fall color is bronzy-red to purplish.
Green
Gray/Silver
Purple/Lavender
Red/Burgundy
Elliptical
Oblong
1-3 inches
< 1 inch
Stem
Fine, pubescent when young, changing to reddish-brown at maturity. It branches in all planes.
Brown/Copper
Red/Burgundy
Hairy (pubescent)
Whole Plant Traits
Shrub
Ground Cover
Spreading
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Good Drainage
Moist
3 feet-6 feet
12 inches-3 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Loam (Silt)
Landscape
Rock Garden
Border
Foundation Planting
Mass Planting
Slope/Bank
Rock Wall
Songbirds

Cotoneaster dammeri Attributes

Cotoneaster dammeri: Country Or Region Of Origin

Tibet to Central China

Cotoneaster dammeri: Wildlife Value

Attracts birds, butterflies

Cotoneaster dammeri: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Cotoneaster dammeri: Play Value

Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer

Cotoneaster dammeri Fruit

Cotoneaster dammeri: Fruit Description

1-4 inch red berries with a 5-pointed star at the end appear in summer and persist into winter. The crop is sometimes small.

Cotoneaster dammeri: Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Cotoneaster dammeri: Fruit Color

grass
Red/Burgundy

Cotoneaster dammeri: Fruit Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Cotoneaster dammeri: Display/Harvest Time

Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter

Cotoneaster dammeri: Fruit Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches

Cotoneaster dammeri: Fruit Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches

Cotoneaster dammeri Flowers

Cotoneaster dammeri: Flower Description

5 petaled 1/2 inch white flowers with purple anthers

Cotoneaster dammeri: Flower Color

filter_vintage
White

Cotoneaster dammeri: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Cotoneaster dammeri: Flower Petals

2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals

Cotoneaster dammeri: Flower Shape

Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel

Cotoneaster dammeri: Flower Size

1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches

Cotoneaster dammeri Leaves

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Description

1 1/4 inch long and 5/8 inch wide glossy green leaves have gray-green undersides. Fall color is bronzy-red to purplish.

Cotoneaster dammeri: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Color

spa
Gray/Silver
spa
Green

Cotoneaster dammeri: Deciduous Leaf Fall Color

spa
Purple/Lavender
spa
Red/Burgundy

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Cotoneaster dammeri: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy

Cotoneaster dammeri: Leaf Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Cotoneaster dammeri Stem

Cotoneaster dammeri: Stem Description

Fine, pubescent when young, changing to reddish-brown at maturity. It branches in all planes.

Cotoneaster dammeri: Stem Color

grass
Brown/Copper
grass
Red/Burgundy

Cotoneaster dammeri: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Cotoneaster dammeri: Stem Surface

Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)

Cotoneaster dammeri Whole Plant Traits

Cotoneaster dammeri: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Cotoneaster dammeri: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Cotoneaster dammeri: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Cotoneaster dammeri: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Cotoneaster dammeri: Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Cotoneaster dammeri Cultural Conditions

Cotoneaster dammeri: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Cotoneaster dammeri: Soil pH

Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)

Cotoneaster dammeri: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Cotoneaster dammeri: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Cotoneaster dammeri: NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Cotoneaster dammeri: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b

Cotoneaster dammeri: Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Cotoneaster dammeri Landscape

Cotoneaster dammeri: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Cotoneaster dammeri: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Cotoneaster dammeri: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Cotoneaster dammeri: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Cotoneaster dammeri: Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees