Ilex opaca
american holly, christmas holly
Family
Aquifoliaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Margin
entire, dentate, spinose
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
oblong, elliptic, obovate, ovate
Growth Form
shrub, tree
Flower Color
white, yellow
Flower Month
April - October
Height (meters)
16.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Leaf Retention
Evergreen
Wetland Class
FAC
Field Characters
Only holly that doesn't have grey twigs.
Animal Use
The berries are used for food by songbirds, deer, and wild turkeys.
Habitat
Moist woods, hammocks, along banks of streams and in swamps.
Plant Uses
The wood is light and tough but not strong. It is close-grained, and valued for various kinds of interior-finishing uses, and for inlays for joiner-cabinet work,