Dwarf Chinese Holly Ilex cornuta 'Carissa'

‘Carissa’ Chinese holly is a cultivar in the Aquifoliaceae (holly) family. At 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide, it is a smaller version of its parent. Its origin includes eastern China and Korea. The specific epithet cornuta comes from Latin and means horn shaped. 

‘Carissa’ holly thrives in sun or partial shade and in 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 and, if needed, late summer. This shrub is drought and heat tolerant once established and particularly resistant to browsing by deer.

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. The female produces fruits (drupes or, commonly, berries) when both are present. Its flowers are fairly insignificant, though fragrant. If fruits appear, they would occur in fall or winter and are eaten by birds. 

‘Carissa’ holly’s 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. 

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant 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.

More information on Ilex cornuta.