Cotoneaster (cotoneaster glaucophyllus)

Cotoneaster, a once prized garden shrub/tree, now declared a noxious weed in Australia because of invasiveness in the bush, is a native of China, the Himalayas and temperate Asia, Nth. Africa and Europe.

Depending on the species definition used, between 70 to 300 different species are described (ref. Wikipedia).

Cotoneaster is my preferred wood for chisel handles for its resilience and similarity to the properties of English Boxwood, for wood-turning chisel handles for its ability to absorb shock, drum sticks for its bounce and flexibility and clapping sticks for its resonance, and of course, it cuts freely and cleanly on the lathe and is a pleasure to turn.

I humbly admit that I was under the miss-conception that Cotoneaster didn’t have a botanical classification (Latin name) and that there was only a couple of different variations, however during a walk through the Japanese Garden in Cowra a few weeks back I noticed a familiar looking leaf and berry on a traditionally Japanese-sculptured shrub which put me on a sharp learning curve; the snapshot above is of that shrub with the label, Cotoneaster Glaucophyllus; now that was a light-bulb moment that I had to share.

You can read more about the problems caused by cotoneaster at Weeds Australia.

Here are some more photos to help with identification: