PTIONS Cut stumps close to the ground O ACTORS seedlings a half-inch or less in diameter less or a half-inch seedlings F EY with a mini-Weed Wrench or by hand. by or Pulling Wrench with a mini-Weed only, plants small is practical for as cotoneaster develops multiple stems from a mass, root large grasp to difficult making it base. the Seed longevity is not known,Seed is not longevity be sev- may but eral years. Pull and treat. Cut fall the and winter.during using Practitioners of concentration a 50 percent apply herbicides stumps. the to glyphosate stumps Painting shrubs large on effective is glyphosate with Produces many stump sprouts after cutting. after sprouts stump many Produces Root system is extensive and difficult to remove. and bird-dis- seed production Abundant fruits. persed REATMENT u T u u K u u u WEED WORKERS’ HANDBOOK WEED WORKERS’ ) is found. sys- root The are larger. are C. lactea They are either sprawling or erect to about to erect or sprawling either are They ESCRIPTION EPRODUCTION MPACT Heteromeles arbutifolia I of capable is thought Cotoneaster invading ecosystems,intact with competes it where native vegetation for water, nutrient, and light resources. This is seen particularly in plant toyon native the where communities ( rapidly, difficult. grows tem making removal In addition, the dense shrubs frequently grow of spread the can facilitate and trees under fire by forming a fuel ladder. R ofClusters 5-petaled flowers pink to white and September, June between bloom followed by showy crops of orange or red berries February. through September pro- Seeds are require not and do numbers in great duced fertilization.They but plant near the parent drop species, bird many readily eaten by are which seeds can be which over distance the increases dispersed. rainy the during Seeds germinate season. Cotoneaster can also spread vegetatively by root sprouting and by branches rooting at the nodes. shrublands,forests,and open areas,and can areas,and open co-TONE-e-aster) (pronounced Cotoneasters grasslands, in grow that shrubs evergreen are shrublands,forests,and form dense thickets. tall.10 feet one criss-cross branches The another. simple, are The leaves elliptic-ovate, gray-green, to beneath. hairy green and dark They grow up to three-quarters of an inch long. of The leaves Rose Family (Rosaceae) Family Rose D Cotoneaster franchetii Cotoneaster pannosa Cotoneaster lactea COTONEASTER SPECIES COTONEASTER

SHRUBS 68 but becomes more difficult on the smaller FOLLOW-UP ones, as the many small stems can be hard to Return to the site at least once a year to check for see. For smaller plants, it may be preferable to resprouts and seedlings. If you use landscape spray the herbicide. fabric, check periodically that it hasn’t been u Cut and cover. Remove all branches of mature moved by animals or hikers. You can also shrubs with loppers or a pruning saw, then remove the fabric twice a year to cut back any cut the trunk back to about 1 foot in height. If growth that has resulted despite the lack of sun- you cut much shorter, the plant may produce light. Make sure you reposition the fabric a significant number of sprouts from the root securely. and trunk. Recommendations vary on when to cut, but research suggests cutting just after DISPOSAL the shrub has produced fruit (when its energy Individual plants can be piled on-site.For larger reserves are at their lowest) but before fruit infestations you might want to chip the debris. has dropped, thus minimizing the risk of mature berries germinating.Cover stump and surrounding ground (1–2 feet all the way INTERESTING FACTS Native to China, cotoneaster was introduced to

around the stump) with landscape fabric for SHRUBS at least a year. the United States as an ornamental most likely during the mid- to late 1800s.

Notes

THE PLANTS: HOW TO REMOVE BAY AREA WEEDS 69