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Grey cotoneaster (Cotoneaster franchetii)

Grey cotoneaster is a garden ornamental that has become naturalised in south-eastern Australia and can form dense thickets in bushland. It displaces native plants, changes habitat for wildlife and can help other weeds establish.

Key facts

Type: Weed, shrub.

Native to: South-western China, northern Myanmar and northern Thailand.

Established in: NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA.

Other names: Cotoneaster, Franchet cotoneaster, Franchet's cotoneaster, Orange cotoneaster.

Best time to act: Look for plants during spring and summer flowering and when their orange-red fruits are visible, and control them before fruit is dispersed.

Identification

  • An upright or arching shrub or small tree, usually 2–3 m tall, but sometimes reaching 5 m.
  • Young stems and the undersides of leaves are densely covered in soft, felty hairs.
  • Leaves are small, about 20–35 mm long, with greyish-green upper surfaces that become shiny and hairless as they mature; the undersides are silvery or whitish and densely hairy.
  • Pink or pinkish-white flowers grow in clusters along the branches, usually in spring and summer.
  • Rounded or egg-shaped fruits are about 5–10 mm across and turn orange-red or pinkish-orange as they mature; they usually contain three seeds.
  • Look-alike: Other cotoneasters can look similar: grey cotoneaster has small leaves with densely hairy, silvery undersides, and pinkish flowers in clusters usually containing 5–15 flowers.
  • Look-alike: Firethorns have spiny stems, while hawthorns have deeply lobed, often toothed leaves and stout thorns.

Where it grows

In temperate regions of Australia it grows in gardens, bushland, open woodlands, grasslands, forest margins, waterways, roadsides, railway lines and waste areas.

Why it matters

  • It forms thickets under tall trees and dense infestations displace local native plant species.
  • By modifying or removing habitat, it affects local wildlife and can allow other weeds to invade.
  • Its fruits are considered quite poisonous to humans.
  • It can host bacterial fireblight, a disease of orchards.

How it spreads

  • Birds eat the brightly coloured fruits and disperse the seeds.
  • Fruits can also be spread in dumped garden waste.
  • Cut plants can produce suckers from the base.

Control options

  • Hand-pull small plants, removing the roots, and remove larger plants using an appropriate physical method for the site.
  • For established shrubs, use a herbicide registered for the plant and situation, or another approved method, and follow the product label and local requirements.
  • Check treated areas for seedlings and regrowth, including suckers, and follow up until the infestation is controlled.
  • Check with the relevant state or territory biosecurity agency or local land manager for current control requirements and reporting advice.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Clean soil, seeds and plant material from boots, tools, machinery and vehicles before leaving an infested site.
  • Do not dump fruiting cut plants or garden waste where seeds could spread; dispose of material in line with local requirements.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Not a priority weed. Not a state or regional priority weed in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • Northern Territory: Not declared. Not on the NT A to Z weed list, and Weeds Australia does not list it as declared in the NT. Check the NT declared weeds list before moving or planting it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest, prohibited. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT. Dealing with it, such as selling, moving or keeping it, is prohibited.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board

Sources