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,