Cotoneaster nummularius

Cotoneaster nummularius, the nummular or coinwort cotoneaster, is a species of cotoneaster. This woody shrub is native to much of Asia and south eastern Europe.

Description
Cotoneaster nummularius is a mountainous winter deciduous woody shrub covered in alternate dull green rounded to oval-shaped leaves with fuzzy white undersides and blooms in clusters of 3 to 5 with white hermaphrodite flowers. It flowers from April to June; the fruits are red slightly felted pomes that darken to a bluish black color. It grows at altitudes between 1400 m to 2000 m.  Sprawling areas of bushes at the base of the Cotoneaster nummularius tree are safe shelters for the Tortoise.

Distribution
The species is found in Greece, Crete, Lebanon, Syria, Israel / Palestine, Turkey, Cyprus, Iraq, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Caucasus, Iran, Turkestan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Gruziya, Caucasus, Pakistan, Northwestern India, China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The mountains are very young in the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey. Therefore, the trees in the region multiply with seeds. Due to excessive animal grazing in the area, new shoots of vulnerable Cotoneaster nummularius trees in the open field are eaten by animals. This does not allow them to grow and causes them to take a horizontally irregular shape on the ground.

Uses
Cotoneaster nummularis is used in folk medicine; decoctions made from the fruits is taken orally as an appetite stimulant, stomachic and expectorant.