What is a cranberry cotoneaster?

The cranberry cotoneaster is a thick, deciduous upright shrub with arching branches. In the late spring, red berries that resemble cranberries bloom from the small pinkish flowers that last into the winter. The leaves of the cranberry cotoneaster are purple and red in the spring and bronze in the fall.

The cranberry-like berries of the cranberry cotoneaster attract birds. The shrub resists damage from rabbits and air pollution. The plants do not carry significant insect problems, but they have a susceptibility to a sudden wilting of the stems similar to other plants in the rose family. Cranberry cotoneasters do not fare well in heat and humidity and do not thrive in the southern United States.