1. Petals spreading, pure white. Plant (semi-) evergreen === 2
1. Petals erect, pinkish or reddish, often with white margin. Plant deciduous or evergreen === 8
2. Inflorescence 1-6(-10)-flowered. Most leaves less than 30 mm long === 3
2. Inflorescence usually > 20-flowered (rarely relatively few-flowered). Most leaves more than 30 mm long === 6
3. Nutlets usually 2 (rarely 3). Leaves usually < 15 mm long. Inflorescence 1-flowered. Stem decumbent to suberect, up to 150 cm tall === Cotoneaster integrifolius
3. Nutlets 2-5. Leaves usually > 15 mm long. Inflorescence (1-)2-6(-10)-flowered. Stem prostrate or semi-prostrate, not exceeding 60 cm === 4
4. Leaf upper surface with veins deeply impressed === C. salicifolius p.p. (cv Gnom)
4. Leaf upper surface flat or with veins shallowly impressed === 5
5. Stem strictly prostrate, less than 20 cm tall. Nutlets usually 5 (rarely 4). Leaves 15-40 mm long === C. dammeri
5. Stem semi-prostrate, 40-60 cm tall. Nutlets 2-4. Leaves 10-23 mm long === C. x suecicus
6. Leaves obtuse to rounded at apex. Nutlets always 2 === C. lacteus
6. Leaves acute at apex. Nutlets 2-5 === 7
7. Leaves narrowly elliptic, with distinctly inrolled margins. Plant evergreen. Fruit ca. 4-5 mm long, usually with 2 (rarely 3-5) nutlets === C. salicifolius p.p.
7. Leaves elliptic to narrowly obovate, with flat margins. Plant semi-evergreen. Fruit ca. 5-9 mm long with 2-3(-5) nutlets === C. xwatereri
8. Leaves (semi-) evergreen. Lower leaf surface always whitish or silvery tomentose === 9
8. Leaves deciduous. Lower leaf surface glabrous to tomentose (if tomentose, then not silvery or whitish) === 11
9. Anthers pink to purple === C. franchetii
9. Anthers white (often with pink or purplish margins) === 10
10. Leaves 37-49 mm long. Nutlets usually 3-4 (rarely 2 or 5). Fruit 9-10 mm across === C. sternianus
10. Leaves 27-40 mm long. Nutlets usually 2 (rarely 3). Fruit 8-9 mm across === C. mairei
11. Leaves tomentose on lowerside, largely or totally obscuring leaf surface === 12
11. Leaves subglabrous to sparsely pubescent, not obscuring leaf surface === 15
12. Hypanthium glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Nutlets usually 2 (rarely 3) (native) === C. integerrimus
12. Hypanthium villous to tomentose. Nutlets 2-5 === 13
13. Leaves shortly acuminate at apex. Fruits nearly sessile, not pendent. Nutlets 3-5. Inflorescence 3-7-flowered. === C. dielsianus
13. Leaves rounded to acute at apex. Fruits on distinct pedicels, more or less pendent Nutlets 2 or 3. Inflorescence 3-13-flowered. === 14
14. Fruits ca. 8-9 mm long, with 2 nutlets. Leaves ca. 21-35 mm long, deciduous by October. Petals pinkish === C. fangianus
14. Fruits ca. 10-11 mm long, often at least some with 3 stones. Leaves slightly longer, ca. 32-40 mm and persisting longer. Petals paler, usually pure white === C. zabelii
15. Stamens 10-15 === 16
15. Stamens 16-20 === 20
16. Stem erect, 150-200 cm tall. Fruit elliptic, ca. twice as long as wide === C. divaricatus
16. Stem prostrate-ascending, rarely exceeding 100 cm. Fruit ca. as long as wide or only slightly longer than wide === 17
17. Leaves with strongly undulate margins. Branchlets divaricate (not distichous, nor with a herringbone pattern). Fruit 10-13 mm across === C. nanshan
17. Leaves with flat margins (or indistinctly undulate in C. ascendens). Branchlets distichous, often with a herringbone pattern. Fruit 5-8 mm across === 18
18. Leaves nearly orbicular, apex obtuse, mucronate, 13-25 x 10-25 mm. Hypanthium glabrescent === C. hjelmqvistii
18. Leaves broadly ovate, distinctly longer than wide. Hypanthium persistently hairy === 19
19. Habit decumbent to ascending (rarely exceeding 100 cm) with distichous branchlets and a distinct herringbone pattern. Leaves ca. 5-12 x 5-9 mm. Fruits orange-red, 5-6 mm across, usually with 3 nutlets === C. horizontalis
19. Habit ascending (up to 200 cm tall) with distichous branchlets but without a distinct herringbone pattern. Leaves distinctly larger, 14-23 x 8-14 mm. Fruits dark red and larger, 7-8 mm across, usually with 2 nutlets === C. ascendens
20. Fruit black at maturity === 21
20. Fruit bright orange to orange-red at maturity === 24
21. Leaf upper surface with veins deeply impressed (bullate). Nutlets usually 5 (rarely 4) === C. moupinensis
21. Leaf upper surface flat. Nutlets usually 2 (rarely 3) === 22
22. Hypanthium tomentose. Inflorescence 3-5-flowered === C. villosulus
22. Hypanthium less densely hairy, not tomentose. Inflorescence 5-15-flowered === 23
23. Leaves intensely shiny above, usually more than 30 mm wide and with 3-5 veins. Corolla with a large opening (petals erect) === C. lucidus
23. Leaves slightly shiny above, usually less than 30 mm wide and with 6-8 veins. Corolla closed or with a small opening (petals erect-incurved) === C. ambiguus
24. Leaves 19-33 mm long, with flat leaf upper surface (veins not impressed). Inflorescence 2-6-flowered. Fruit 10-12 mm across, orange to orange-red, usually with 3 nutlets. Branches stiffly erect === C. simonsii
24. Leaves 45-210 mm long, slightly to strongly bullate (veins deeply impressed). Inflorescence 10-30-flowered. Fruit 6-11 mm across, (dark) red or orange-red, usually with 4-5 nutlets. Branches arching and spreading === 25
25. Fruit orange-red. Leaves 45-60 mm long === C. boisianus
25. Fruit dark red. Leaves 55-210 mm long === 26
26. Leaves slightly bullate, hairy on lower side at flowering, rarely more than 70 mm long. Fruit 6-8 mm across === C. bullatus
26. Leaves strongly bullate, often less hairy at flowering, usually more than 70 mm long. Fruit 8-11 mm across === C. rehderi