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Ilex cornuta 'Carissa'

Phonetic Spelling
EYE-leks kor-NOO-tuh
This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

Carissa Chinese Holly is a cultivar of Ilex cornuta and is a compact, dense, broadleaf evergreen shrub in the Aquifoliaceae or holly family. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide and is a popular landscape plant. It is a much smaller version of its parent. The leaves are alternate, glossy, and dark green, and have a single tiny spine at the tip of the leaf. In the spring, clusters of fragrant white flowers emerge. Although it rarely fruits, bright red berries may be seen in the fall and winter. This plant can revert to a 'Rotunda' holly leaf form that has many spines on the leaf margins. These reversions are best pruned off of the plant. 

The Carissa Chinese Holly is dioecious, meaning individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is found on any one plant, so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. The female produces fruits (drupes or, commonly, berries) when both are present.

This shrub thrives in sun or partial shade and slightly acidic, well-drained soils. It can be pruned or shaped almost any time of year but is rarely needed. It should be fertilized in winter or early spring to maintain good leaf color and adequate growth. This shrub is drought and heat tolerant once established and particularly resistant to browsing by deer.

Carissa Chinese Holly is popular in the landscape, and it is frequently used in mass plantings on commercial properties. It is often used to form a low shrub mass around parking lots. The dense, rounded, evergreen leaves look particularly attractive as a backdrop to colorful flowering plants. It works well as a hedge, a screen, in a shrub border, or as a foundation planting. It is also appropriate in a winter, drought-tolerant, or English garden. 

Seasons of Interest:

Bloom:  Spring      Foliage:  Year-round      Fruits:  Fall and Winter, rarely observed

Quick ID Hints:

  • compact, dense broadleaf evergreen shrub
  • alternate, glossy, leathery, dark green leaves with a single tiny spine at the tip
  • clusters of small white fragrant flowers in the spring
  • small, bright red berries, rarely observed

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The Carissa Chinese Holly may be susceptible to scales and aphids. It has no serious disease problems.

The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common diseases and insect pests.

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy, and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.

 

More information on Ilex cornuta.

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscapes:
Border Landscape Pinewild County Club, Moore County Lush Foundation Planting Mountain Ridge Top Garden - East Lawn and Lower Drive Border
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#cultivars#evergreen#fragrant flowers#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#shrub#easy to grow#nectar plant#salt tolerant#broadleaf evergreen#year-round interest#specialized bees#transplant#poisonous fruits#deer resistant#glossy leaves#foundation planting#rounded#border planting#shimmer#screening#pollinator plant#evergreen shrub#border middle#compact habit#bird friendly#bee friendly#poisonous if ingested#landscape plant sleuths course#hedge#cpp
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#cultivars#evergreen#fragrant flowers#heat tolerant#drought tolerant#shrub#easy to grow#nectar plant#salt tolerant#broadleaf evergreen#year-round interest#specialized bees#transplant#poisonous fruits#deer resistant#glossy leaves#foundation planting#rounded#border planting#shimmer#screening#pollinator plant#evergreen shrub#border middle#compact habit#bird friendly#bee friendly#poisonous if ingested#landscape plant sleuths course#hedge#cpp
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Ilex
    Species:
    cornuta
    Family:
    Aquifoliaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Fire Risk Rating:
    medium flammability
    Wildlife Value:
    Fruits are attractive to birds and bees. Members of the genus Ilex support the following specialized bee: Colletes banksi.
    Play Value:
    Buffer
    Screening
    Wildlife Food Source
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    Resistant to damage by deer and Phytophthora root rot.
    Edibility:
    Use caution. Berries are slightly toxic to humans if eaten in quantity.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Perennial
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Dense
    Erect
    Mounding
    Rounded
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Medium
    Appendage:
    Spines
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Occasionally Dry
    Occasionally Wet
    Available Space To Plant:
    3 feet-6 feet
    6-feet-12 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Red/Burgundy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Winter
    Fruit Type:
    Drupe
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    The fruits are small, less than 0.5 inches in diameter, round, fleshy red berries, and are rarely produced. If observed, they ripen in the fall and persist through the winter months.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Cyme
    Insignificant
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    The small, 4-parted, radial, axillary, dull-white flowers appear in late spring. They are 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch in diameter. The shrub is dioecious, meaning the male and female flowers appear on different plants. The blooms are fragrant but not showy.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Glossy
    Leathery
    Prickly
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Good Cut
    Long-lasting
    Showy
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Ovate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    3-6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Leaves are shiny and dark green above, but they are flat and olive green below. They are alternate, simple, leathery, ovate, coriaceous, glossy, and measure 2 to 4 inches in length. The leaves have a single terminal spine. They also have a transparent rim around the leaf margin that reflects light and appears to shimmer. Some leaves appear to be bullate.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Light Gray
    Surface/Attachment:
    Smooth
    Bark Description:
    Smooth gray bark becoming finely flakey with size.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    The stems are slender, and green, and turn reddish-green in the winter. The buds are small. The leaf scar has one bundle scar. The branchlets appear dense.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Coastal
    Lawn
    Landscape Theme:
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    English Garden
    Winter Garden
    Design Feature:
    Barrier
    Border
    Foundation Planting
    Hedge
    Mass Planting
    Screen/Privacy
    Attracts:
    Pollinators
    Songbirds
    Specialized Bees
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Drought
    Heat
    Pollution
    Problems:
    Poisonous to Humans
    Spines/Thorns
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    Low
    Poison Symptoms:
    Minor toxicity. Ingestion may cause vomiting, diarrhea, or other illness in humans.
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    Saponins
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    No
    Poison Part:
    Fruits