Description

Leaves: Alternate; simple; evergreen, persisting 3 years; 2" to 4" long; elliptical; margin with long, sharp, spiny teeth, though some leaves may be nearly entire; thick and leathery; green to dark green above and paler below, with some cultivars glossy dark green; petiole grooved, 1/4" to 1/2" long.

Twigs/buds: Twigs slender; glabrous; green.  Terminal bud present; buds 1/8" to 1/4" long, scaly.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers dioecious, small, borne in small bunches when leaves are opening; white, inconspicuous.  Fruit a fleshy drupe maturing in October and persisting into winter; red or yellow, depending on cultivar; 1/4" to 1/2" diameter.

Bark: Thin; smooth; light gray; with many warty bumps.

Wood: Somewhat important; white; hard; heavy; growth rings not very distinct; diffuse-porous; often dyed for use in marquetry and inlays; also used for turnings.

General: Native to the eastern and southeastern U.S., as far west as Texas and Missouri and as far north as Massachusetts.  Shade tolerant. Evergreen broadleaf (retains its leaves for more than one year).

Landscape Use: Attractive, medium-sized broadleaved evergreen that grows fairly slowly.  Foliage and fruit, especially on certain cultivars, can be very attractive.  Somewhat difficult to transplant.  Does not do well in very hot, dry, windy conditions.  Will be fuller-crowned in when grown in full sun.  Zones 5-9.  There are many other species of holly, both trees and shrubs, that potentially could be grown in Utah.  See Dirr's Manual of Wood Landscape Plants (1990) for a more complete discussion.

Cultivars: 'Amy', 'Canary', 'Cardinal', 'Clarendon', 'Croonenburg', 'Dan Fenton', 'f. xanthocarpa', 'Howard', 'Jersey Delight', 'Jersey Knight', 'Jersey Princess', 'Maryland Dwarf', 'Miss Helen', 'Old Heavy Berry', 'Steward's Silver Crown'.

Characteristics