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Winter 2004 Featured Plant
American Holly
American holly is our December/January featured plant. And
why not? Ilex opaca offers glossy evergreen leaves and red
berries to brighten our spirits at this dark time of year.
Most plant species combine the sexes in a single plant, but
individual plants of American holly are either male or female,
making this a dioecious species. Of course it is the female
plant that produces the colorful berries, but male plants
must be available to insect pollinators for the berries to
develop. The red berries, which attract birds, are common
to all holly species, but American holly is distinguished
by its large stature and prickly evergreen foliage. In fact,
the hollies native to our region are mostly shrubby plants
with deciduous leaves that lack spines. American holly is
familiar in our landscape as an ornamental, but we are near
its northern limit as a forest species. Specimens of American
holly can be found at the Preserve near the north end of our
Visitor Center and along the Holly Walk. (Photo
courtesy of William S. Justice@USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database)
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