← Species guide
Wall cotoneaster
Moderate riskCotoneaster horizontalis and related species
Birds carry the berries from gardens straight onto Gower's limestone cliffs and grasslands, where cotoneaster smothers some of the rarest plant communities in Wales.
How to identify it
- Low spreading or wall-hugging shrub with herringbone branch pattern
- Small glossy oval leaves, often red in autumn
- Masses of bright red berries
Why it matters
- Smothers limestone grassland and cliff ledge flora on Gower SSSIs
- Roots prise apart mortar in walls and rock faces
How to control it
- Pull or dig out young plants, roots and all
- Cut and treat stumps on established bushes
- Stop planting it in gardens near Gower or the coast
