Ilex verticillata




Botanical Name:
Ilex verticillata
Common Name: winter berry
Family Name: Aquifoliacae
Distribution/Origin: E. North America

Description:
Ilex verticillata is a shrub growing to 1 - 5 m tall. It is one of a number of hollies which are deciduous, losing their leaves in the fall. In wet sites, it will spread to form a dense thicket, while in dry soil it remains a tight shrub. The leaves are glossy green, 3.5 - 9 cm long, 1.5 - 3.5 cm broad, with a serrated margin and an acute apex. The flowers are small, 5 mm diameter, with five to eight white petals. The fruit is a globose red drupe 6 - 8 mm diameter, which often persists on the branches long into the winter, giving the plant its English name. Like most hollies, it is dioecious, with separate male and female plants; the proximity of at least one male plant is required to pollinize the females in order to bear fruit.

Notes:
It is a tough plant which is easy to grow, with very few diseases or pests. Although wet acidic soils are optimal, the winterberry will grow well in the average garden.

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