Ilex × meserveae 'Conablu' [sold as Blue Prince®]
Blue Prince Meserve Holly

Ilex × meserveae ′Conablu′ [sold as Blue Prince®] - Bark and Buds

Family:

Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family) 18

Genus:

Ilex (Holly Inkberry Gallberry Winterberry Black Alder Alder, Black Coralberry) 18

Plant Type:

Shrub 468

Growth Forms:

Upright 571

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 4 515

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Evergreen 262

Flower Notes:

White (Spring; small; dioecious flowers; not ornamentally important)

Foliage Notes:

Green (Glossy, dark blue-green evergreen foliage)

Ultimate Height:

8-12 feet

Ultimate Spread:

8-12 feet

Light Requirements:

Soil Notes:

Prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soils

Range:

Hybrid origin

Diagnostic Characteristics:

Blue-green leaves (1-2.5" long and 0.75-1.25" wide) are alternate, simple, evergreen, leathery, spiny (4-8 spines per margin), lustrous dark bluish green above with slightly impressed veins above.

Special Characteristics:

Pollution Tolerant 217

Slow Growth Rate 271

Winter Interest 115

Additional Information

This male cultivar of the Meserve Holly is an excellent pollinator known for its hardiness, beautiful, lustrous, dark blue-green foliage, and dense habit. The Meserve Holly, like other hollies, is dioecious, so plant females for fruit and an occasional male for pollination. Blue Prince is considered to be a good pollinator for Blue Princess ('Conapry'). Winter desiccation injury to leaves occurs in exposed sites.