Ilex aquifolium
Common name:
English Holly
Pronunciation:
I-leks a-kwi-FO-li-um
Family:
Aquifoliaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Broadleaf evergreen shrub/tree, 30-50 ft (9-15 m), dense, pyramidal. Leaves, alternate, simple, 2.5-7.5 cm long and 2-6.5 cm wide, lustrous dark green, undulating, spiny-margins; juvenile leaves very spiny, adult leaves less so. Dull white fragrant flowers appear in spring, usually dioecious --- male and female plants. Fruit bright red, 6 mm diam, persists into winter.
- Sun or partial shade. Needs protection from sun in hot, dry areas. For good fruit set a male shrub is needed.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 7 Native range from the British Isles to southern and central Europe. Grown commercially in the Pacific Northwest, but not common in the eastern U.S.
- Over 200 cultivars! They may be grouped as non-variegated (green-leaved) or variegated. The leaves in the latter group have may have whitish (silver-leaved) margins or yellowish (golden-leaved) margins or central blotches, or spots.
- aquifolium: classical name for holly
- Oregon State Univ. campus: NE corner Hovland Hall.
Click image to enlarge
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plant habit
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leaves, juvenile
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flowers, female and male
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leaves and immature fruit
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foliage and ripe fruit
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fruiting branch
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shoots, juvenile and adult
