Dwarf Chinese Holly Ilex cornuta 'Carissa'
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Dwarf Chinese Holly:
- Phonetic Spelling
- EYE-leks kor-NOO-tuh
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Ilex 'Carissa' is a cultivar of I. cornuta. At 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide, it is a smaller version of its parent, but makes an excellent formal shrub. This compact plant is drought and heat tolerant once established and has dense, rounded, evergreen leaves that look particularly attractive as a backdrop to colorful flowering plants. It thrives in the sun or partial shade and in slightly acidic well-drained soils. 'Carissa' is less cold hardy than another small I. cornuta cultivar, 'Dwarf Burford', but is just as easily transplantable. Its large leathery leaves with a single spine at the tip are glossy, provide a coarse texture in the landscape, and remain attractive all year. Its flowers are fairly insignificant, though fragrant, and unlike the parent, does not produce many of the traditional red fruits.
The specific epithet "cornuta' means horn-shaped. The plant 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). You can use 'Carissa' as a hedge, a screen, in a shrub border, or foundation planting. It can be pruned almost any time of year; however, pruning is rarely necessary as it maintains its rounded shape. It should be fertilized lightly each spring and fall.
This shrub is particularly resistant to browsing by deer.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant has few pest problems.
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.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Lush Foundation Planting Border Landscape Pinewild County Club, Moore County Mountain Ridge Top Garden - East Lawn and Lower Drive Border
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ilex
- Species:
- cornuta
- Family:
- Aquifoliaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Eastern China, Korea
- Distribution:
- Southeastern United States
- 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.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Erect
- Mounding
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Spines
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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:
- 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Fruit is generally not observed, though if the round red fruits do appear they will be present in fall and winter.
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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:
- Small, 4-parted, radial, axillary, dull-white flowers in late spring that are 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch. Male and female flowers are on different plants (dioecious). Fragrant but not showy.
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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:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are shiny and dark green above, but flat and olive green below. Alternate, simple, leathery, ovate, coriaceous, glossy leaves are 2 to 3 inches in length. Leaves have a long, single terminal at the spine (only apical). Leaves have a transparent rim around the leaf margin that reflects light and appears to shimmer. Some leaves appear to be bullate.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- Smooth gray bark becoming finely flakey with size.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Slender, green stems turning reddish-green in the winter, buds small, leaf scar with 1 bundle scar. Branchlets are dense. Current growth stem color is green.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Lawn
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- English Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Barrier
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Attracts:
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Heat
- Pollution
- Problems:
- Spines/Thorns