American Holly Information
Ilex opaca
A native tree
Ilex opaca
A native tree
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What to look for:
Size: A small evergreen tree 40 feet in height, 1 to 2 feet n diameter. Form: It has a pyramidal shape, often retaining low branches which may reach the ground. |
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Location: Grows on a variety of sites,
specially moist, well-drained, acid soils.
It is shade tolerant but can do well in
direct sun.
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Leaves: Alternate, simple, evergreen, leathery, glossy, 2 to 4 inches long, with widely spaced spines long the edges |
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Flowers: Males and females are on separate trees; dull greenish-white; males (shown here) are in clusters of 3 to 7; females are single, with a pleasant odor; both appearing in late spring. |
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Fruit: Found on female trees only; bright red, round and berry-like, ¼ inch across, and attached to a short talk; ripens in fall and remains on the tree over winter. |
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Bark: Light gray and smooth at all ages |
Contributions to wildlife:
Special thanks to Windsor Castle Park for its partnership in this tree identification project in the park, and also to Bonnie Horne for her many hours taking pictures of leaves for the tree signs.
Given below are good resources for the information presented above and contain additional descriptions that further add to your understanding. Click on any to learn more. Special credit given to the Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet for its pictures and information on the American holly tree. Also special credit is given to the Common Native Trees of Virginia for its concise and varied descriptions.
Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet American Holly
Common Native Trees of Virginia
USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet American Holly
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center American Holly
Native American Ethnobiology DB American Holly
- The bitter-tasting berries are food for songbirds, deer, wild turkeys and a wide variety of other animals.
- The dense foliage also provides cover and nesting habitat for various songbirds.
- It is the larval plant for Henry's Elfin butterfly.
- The wood is light, close-grained and bone-colored. It is not a major commercial species, but it is sometimes used for interior finishing, inlays, veneers and novelties. Holly is a popular ornamental tree, and the foliage and berries are used for holiday decorations.
- Native Americans used the bark and leaves to make a decoction to treat sore eyes and itching. The berries were made into a dye and the leaves were used to scratch cramped muscles.
- Although holly wood is naturally very white, it can be easily dyed. When dyed black, it resembles tropical ebony wood and can be used for piano keys and other musical instrument parts.
- As with other members of this genus, its fruit is poisonous to humans.
Special thanks to Windsor Castle Park for its partnership in this tree identification project in the park, and also to Bonnie Horne for her many hours taking pictures of leaves for the tree signs.
Given below are good resources for the information presented above and contain additional descriptions that further add to your understanding. Click on any to learn more. Special credit given to the Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet for its pictures and information on the American holly tree. Also special credit is given to the Common Native Trees of Virginia for its concise and varied descriptions.
Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet American Holly
Common Native Trees of Virginia
USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet American Holly
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center American Holly
Native American Ethnobiology DB American Holly
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