American Holly
Ilex opaca
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American holly grows along the coast from Massachusetts to central Florida, westward to eastern Texas, and northward through southern Missouri, Kentucky, and southeastern Ohio. It's also cultivated in Hawaii. American holly can grow in a wide range of soils, but it thrives in moist, slightly acidic, well-drained areas. It grows in partial shade to full sun.
Fruit: A 7-10 mm wide, orange-red drupe appearing singly or in clusters of 2-3 in the axils of leaves or just below. They ripen between September and December and persist through the winter.
Flowers: A greenish white flower arranged in cymes. They bloom between April and June.
Uses: A number of characteristics make the wood largely undesirable for lumber, but it can be used for things like cabinets, novelties, and dyed black to resemble ebony for piano keys. American Holly is resistant to damage from salt spray, making it useful for rehabilitation areas in New England. It's also strongly desired as an ornamental, especially as Christmas decoration.
Ethnobotany: Native Americans used to preserve the fruit for use as decorative buttons. These were used for bartering between tribes.
Importance to wildlife: Birds, deer, squirrels, and other small mammals eat the fruit. American holly is a larval host for Henry's Elfin Butterfly.
The bark of an American holly. Bark is light gray and either smooth or roughened by warty outgrowths.
The foliage of an American holly. American holly is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 50 feet tall.
A single leaf on an American holly. Leaves are stiff and 5-10 cm long, leathery, spiny tipped/margined, wedge shaped at base, dark green above and paler below.
The leaf arrangement on an American holly. Leaves are simple and alternate. Twigs are rusty-hairy at first but later glabrous and pale brown.
The fruit of an American holly. Fruit is a small orange-red drupe.
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