Winterberry Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold'
Other plants called Winterberry:
- Phonetic Spelling
- EYE-leks ver-ti-si-LAY-tuh
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Winterberry, is a member of the Aquifoliaceae (holly) family and is native to Eastern North America. The ‘Winter Gold’ cultivar is a slow-growing, rounded, woody, multi-stemmed, perennial, deciduous shrub that will reach a height and width of 5 to 8 feet. It is distinguished by a dense, heavy fruiting of orange-yellow berries that appear in late summer and last through winter.
‘Winter Gold’ prefers full sun with some afternoon shade and moist to wet soils. It is adaptable to a range of soil textures but all need to have a neutral to acidic pH. Prune to shape in early spring just before new growth appears.
Winterberry 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 flowers, berries, and seed are desired. “Winter Gold’ is a late-blooming, female plant. One male winterberry, such as the late-blooming cultivar ‘Southern Gentleman’, is necessary for every 6 to10 female plants.
‘Winter Gold' provides year-round interest and makes an excellent hedge or addition to a rain or winter garden. Because it tolerates wet soils, it does well in pond margins, stream beds, or low lying areas of the yard. Mass planted or in small groups it is used in shrub borders or foundation plantings. The foliage is a food source for wildlife including pollinators, birds, and rabbits. It is seldom damaged by deer.
Fire Risk: This plant has a low flammability rating.
Quick ID Hints:
- Deciduous shrubby holly with persistent orange berries.
- Berry has a terminal black dot, not a 'fly'.
- Leaves are serrated and veins are pubescent underneath.
- Leaf veins are impressed.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The native holly leafminer, Japanese wax scale, and southern red mites are the most frequently reported pests of hollies in the southeastern United States. Leaf spots and powdery mildew occasionally occur. Plants will show a decline in alkaline soils.
VIDEO Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ilex
- Species:
- verticillata
- Family:
- Aquifoliaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- The Winterberry is a host plant for Henry's Elfin butterfly and attracts other pollinators and birds. Members of the genus Ilex support the following specialized bee: Colletes banksi. The foliage is food source for rabbits and occasionally deer though plants are resistant to damage.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Dimensions:
- Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Multi-stemmed
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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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:
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Orange-yellow 3/8 inch diameter fruits appear only if there is a male plant like 'Southern Gentleman' around to pollinate. They set in late summer but can persist into winter hence the common name. Fruits have a terminal black "dot" instead of a "fly" like the Rosaceae berries and are striking on naked branches.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Insignificant
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Tiny white flowers with a green/yellow center in leaf axils from May-June. Flowers, if properly pollinated, give way to a crop of bright red berries (1/4 inch diameter) in late summer to fall.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblanceolate
- Oblong
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Dark green leaves 2 to 3 inches long with obvious venation outline on top with a lighter green underside where the veins are obvious in a pale-green. Fall color is variable but sometimes attractive yellow-bronze.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Gray
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- Grey to blackish with knobby lenticel bark, grey to grey-brown buds.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Description:
- Stems are olive-brown to purplish-brown and are lenticelled.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Pond
- Riparian
- Landscape Theme:
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Rain Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Erosion
- Fire
- Heat
- Pollution
- Wet Soil
