Ilex verticillata
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- EE-leks ver-tik-il-LAY-tah
- Description
-
Ilex verticillata, commonly called winterberry, is a deciduous holly that is native to eastern North America where it typically occurs in swamps, damp thickets, low woods and along ponds and streams. This is a slow-growing, deciduous shrub with an upright-rounded habit that typically grows 3-12’ tall. In the wild, it often suckers to form large thickets or colonies. This plant is slightly salt tolerant.
The common name comes from the quite showy berries that are showy all winter and sometimes into early spring. To obtain beautiful berries the plants must be property cross-pollinated. Match blooming times with a male pollinator like 'Jim Dandy' or 'Southern Gentleman' by planting one male (per 10-20 females) within 50 feet of female plants.
Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Occasional disease problems include leaf spots and powdery mildew. Plants do poorly in neutral to alkaline soils where they are susceptible to chlorosis (yellowing of leaves) and often die.
- Cultivars:
-
- 'Afterglow'
Pollinated by 'Apollo', 'Jim Dandy', 'Raritan' - 'Berry Heavy'
Pollinated by: 'Jim Dandy' - 'Berry Nice'
Pollinated by: 'Jim Dandy' - 'Carolina Cardinal'
- 'Jim Dandy'
Early blooming male pollinator - 'Nana'
Smaller 5 ft tall - 'Red Sprite'
Pollinated by: 'Jim Dandy', 'Raritan' - 'Southern Gentleman'
Late blooming male pollinator - 'Sparkleberry'
Pollinated by: 'Apollo', 'Southern Gentleman', Raritan - 'Sunset'
8 ft. tall - 'Winter Gold'
Green leaves with tiny white flowers - 'Winter Red'
9 ft. tall, pollinated by: 'Apollo', 'Southern Gentleman'
- 'Afterglow'
- Tags:
- Cultivars:
-
- 'Afterglow'
Pollinated by 'Apollo', 'Jim Dandy', 'Raritan' - 'Berry Heavy'
Pollinated by: 'Jim Dandy' - 'Berry Nice'
Pollinated by: 'Jim Dandy' - 'Carolina Cardinal'
- 'Jim Dandy'
Early blooming male pollinator - 'Nana'
Smaller 5 ft tall - 'Red Sprite'
Pollinated by: 'Jim Dandy', 'Raritan' - 'Southern Gentleman'
Late blooming male pollinator - 'Sparkleberry'
Pollinated by: 'Apollo', 'Southern Gentleman', Raritan - 'Sunset'
8 ft. tall - 'Winter Gold'
Green leaves with tiny white flowers - 'Winter Red'
9 ft. tall, pollinated by: 'Apollo', 'Southern Gentleman'
- 'Afterglow'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Ilex
- Species:
- verticillata
- Family:
- Aquifoliaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Hedge, Rain Garden
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Distribution:
- Eastern North America
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- The Winterberry is a host plant for Henry's Elfin butterfly. Butterflies nectar at the blooms. Its fruits are eaten by songbirds like cedar waxwings and small mammals. Members of the genus Ilex support the following specialized bee: Colletes banksi.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Enhancement
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- resistant to fire and mildly resistant to damage by deer.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Shrub
- Tree
- Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Multi-stemmed
- Oval
- 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
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 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:
- Orange
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Bright red berry-like drupe on female plants; persists into winter.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Insignificant
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- This plant has relatively inconspicuous greenish-white flowers appear in the leaf axils in late spring. Flowers, if properly pollinated, give way to a crop of bright red berries (1/4” diameter) in late summer to fall. Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold' have tiny white flowers with a green/yellow center.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Black
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Doubly Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Deciduous, simple, smooth, obovate to oblong-ovate 1.5-4 inches long double serrated alternate leaves. Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold' have green leaves with obvious venation outline ontop with a lighter green underside where the veins are obvious in a pale-green.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Black
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Red/Burgundy
- Bark Description:
- Grey to blackish with knobby lenticel bark, grey to grey-brown buds.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Riparian
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rain Garden
- Winter Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Songbirds
- Specialized Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Salt
- Wet Soil
- Similar but less problematic plants:
-
Berberis thunbergii
- Similar plants:
-
Cornus florida
-
Ilex opaca
-
Ilex glabra
