Scientific Name:
Ilex aquifolium
Pronunciation:
EYE-lecks ack-wih-FOE-lee-um
Common Name:
English holly
Family Name:
Aquifoliaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen, Invasive plant
Key ID Features:
Dioecious evergreen tree with dense pyramidal form or one of several common shrubby cultivars; leaves alternate, most ovate elliptic, 2-5cm long x 1-3cm wide, leathery, lustrous, dark green, margins entire to highly spiney, lighter green underside; cymes axillary, florets 12-14mm wide, in axillary, 4 white petals, only the male or female plants fully form; drupes bright red, nearly round, most 7-9mm wide, persistent.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - narrowly
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
10 - 15m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Africa, Central / west Asia, Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 7: (-18 to -12 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Hedge row, Screening, Security/barrier
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include I. 'Argentea Marginata' (variegated with silvery margins), I. 'Argentea Marginata Pendula' (weeping), I. ‘Ferox Argentea’ (compact with extra spines on curled leaves), I. 'Golden Queen', and I. 'Myrtifolia' (elongated leaves).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Margins:
Undulate (wavy)
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Number Of Petals:
4
Corolla Shape:
Cruciform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, White
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr
Additional Info:
Flowers may appear to have both stamens and pistils but individual plants are functionally uni sexual.
Fruit Type:
Drupe
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Persistent, Berry-like: 4 - 6 seeds each with own hard endocarp (pyrenes) - slightly toxic to people (may cause vomiting and diarrhea)
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Organ Modifications:
Spines
Propagation:
Seed, Cuttings
Pest Susceptibility:
Blight or needle cast, Caterpillar or cutworm, Leaf miner insect, Root rot, Scale insects (Deer resistant)
Specific Pests:
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
Location(s):
- (GAZ) GAZebo
- (GAZW) GAZebo West : cv. Ferox Argentea
- (NRY) NuRserY