Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Moench (U.S.A.) – A very rare but possibly overlooked escape from cultivation, garden relic or throw-out. Discovered in rough grassland in Lommel in 2012.
In leaf size and habit this species most closely resembles Symphoricarpos xdoorenbosii but flowers are mostly grouped in the leaf axils (not in leafless terminal spikes or racemes) and fruits are unicoloured (uniformly purplish red).
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus is still regularly cultivated but now increasingly replaced by S. xchenaultii and S. xdoorenbosii.
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Selected literature:
Hossaert-McKey M. (2001) Dormancy-breaking and germination requirements for seeds of Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (Caprifoliaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 88: 1444-1451.
Palmer J.R. (1994) Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Moench (Coral Berry). BSBI News 67: 54.