Cotoneaster is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to the Palaearctic region. Cotoneasters are very popular garden shrubs, grown for their attractive habit and decorative fruit. Many are cultivars, some of hybrid origin.

Cotoneaster grows about 4 m tall, up to 8 m at maturity. Leaves are elliptical, dark green, up to 12 cm long and 3 cm wide. This plant shows large attractive inflorescences with white small flowers and large spherical coral red berries of about 6–9 mm. It is in flower from June to July. The shoots are dimorphic, with long shoots (10–40 cm (3.9–15.7 in) long) producing structural branch growth, and short shoots (0.5–5 cm (0.20–1.97 in) long) bearing the flowers; this pattern often developing a 'herringbone' form of branching. The leaves are arranged alternately, 0.5–15 cm (0.20–5.91 in).