Biosecurity Spotters logo

Himalayan cotoneaster (Cotoneaster simonsii)

Himalayan Cotoneaster invades Australian bushland, forming dense thickets that can displace native plants and prevent regeneration. Its fruits are spread by birds and can also be transported in garden waste or soil.

Key facts

Type: Weed, shrub.

Native to: The Himalayas and South-East Asia.

Established in: NSW, VIC, TAS, SA.

Other names: Khasia Berry, Simons' Cotoneaster.

Identification

  • An erect to arching, multi-branched shrub, usually up to 3 m tall and wide, but sometimes reaching 4 m tall.
  • Leaves are oval to oval-elliptical, up to 3 cm long, glossy dark green above and paler greyish-green with sparse hairs underneath.
  • White to pale pink flowers grow in clusters of 1–5 along the branches, mainly in late spring and early summer.
  • Bright red to orange-red fruits are about 5–10 mm long and contain 3–4 nutlets.
  • The shrub is winter deciduous, and its leaves can turn partly yellow and red before falling in autumn to early winter.
  • Look-alike: Franchet's Cotoneaster has greyish-green upper leaf surfaces and flower clusters of 5–15, compared with Himalayan Cotoneaster's glossy bright green leaves and clusters of 1–5 flowers.
  • Look-alike: Large-leaved Cotoneaster has leaves 2–8 cm long and flower clusters of 20–60; Willow-leaved Cotoneaster has narrow, elongated leaves 4–8.5 cm long.

Where it grows

In Australia it is recorded in the ACT, NSW, SA, Tasmania and Victoria, growing in bushland, open woodland, forest margins, river banks, roadsides and other disturbed sites.

Why it matters

  • It can form dense thickets in bushland, open woodland and forest margins, displacing native plants and changing plant community composition.
  • Abundant, fast-growing seedlings compete strongly with native plants and with one another.
  • It may act as a host for bacterial fireblight, a disease of orchards.

How it spreads

  • Birds eat the conspicuous fruits and disperse the seeds from gardens and established infestations.
  • Fruit can also be transported in garden waste or soil.
  • Branches in constant contact with the ground can produce roots.

Control options

  • Pull smaller plants or smother them with mulch or black plastic using approved methods.
  • Check for and remove seedlings throughout the year, as seeds can germinate year-round; repeated removal of shoots from stumps may be needed.
  • Larger plants can be cut close to the ground and treated with registered herbicides to prevent regrowth; cut-stump treatment is timed just after fruiting in autumn.
  • Drill-and-fill or stem-injection treatment can be used before fruit mature, and cleared sites should be replanted quickly with dense, low-growing native shrubs.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Avoid moving garden waste or soil from infested sites, as fruit can be transported this way.
  • 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: Not listed. Not found in the Western Australian Organism List. Check with DPIRD before moving or keeping it.
  • 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
  • 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