1. Guides
  2. Trees and Shrubs of South Mountain Reservation
  3. American Holly

American Holly

Ilex opaca

Summary 6

Ilex opaca, the American holly, is a species of holly, native to the eastern and south-central United States, from coastal Massachusetts south to central Florida, and west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas.

Ilex opaca is a medium-sized broadleaved evergreen tree growing on average to 33–66 ft wide, and up to 98 ft tall. Typically, its trunk diameter reaches 20 in, sometimes up to 48 in. The bark is light gray, roughened by small warty lumps. The branchlets are stout, green at first and covered with rusty down, later smooth and brown. The fruit is a small red drupe 6–12 mm diameter containing four seeds; it is often persistent into winter.

The leaves are alternate, 2 – 3 in long and 0.8 – 1.6 in wide, stiff, yellow green and dull matte to sub-shiny above (distinctly less glossy than the otherwise fairly similar European holly, Ilex aquifolium), often pale yellow beneath; the edges are curved into several sharp, spike-like points, and a wedge-shaped base and acute apex. The leaves remain on the branches for two to three years, finally falling in the spring when pushed off by growing buds.

Due to its shade tolerance, Ilex opaca typically grows as an understory tree in moist forests of the east-central, southeastern, and south-central United States. It is found in sparse numbers in the northern part of its range from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, south to northern New Jersey (including southern Connecticut and southeastern New York, on Long Island). It is abundant further south on the Gulf and Atlantic lowlands. It will grow in both dry and swampy soil, but grows slowl

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Ron Seman-IndianaDunesHiking, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ron Seman-IndianaDunesHiking
  2. (c) dogtooth77, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/53817483@N00/6645116619/
  3. (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Douglas Goldman
  4. (c) Suzanne Cadwell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/scadwell/7584437882/
  5. (c) Famartin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2016-03-01_13_47_47_American_Holly_within_Fred_Crabtree_Park_in_Reston,_Fairfax_County,_Virginia.jpg
  6. Adapted by Tom Pollard from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_opaca

More Info

iNat Map

Member of the iNaturalist Network   |   Powered by iNaturalist open source software |   Documentation for developers