Ilex opaca 'Old Heavy Berry'
Old Heavy Berry American Holly

Ilex opaca ′Old Heavy Berry′ - Overall Habit

Family:

Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family) 18

Genus:

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

Plant Type:

Tree 583

Growth Forms:

Conical 61

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 5 260

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Evergreen 263

Flower Notes:

White (Spring; dioecious; fragrant, but not ornamentally important)

Foliage Notes:

Green (Especially dark green, lustrous evergreen foliage)

Fruit Notes:

Red (Numerous large, showy red berries (on female plants) that ripen in fall and can persist into winter)

Ultimate Height:

40-50 feet

Ultimate Spread:

18-40 feet

Bloom Times:

Light Requirements:

Soil Notes:

Prefers acidic, well-drained soil; does not tolerate wet soil and poor drainage

Maintenance:

Low 290

Diagnostic Characteristics:

Evergreen leaves (1.5-3.5" long) are dark green above, alternate, and simple with large remote spiny teeth (1 to 8 at the most per side). Leaf scar is half-moon shaped with a very prominent vascular bundle in the center. An ovoid, imbricate greenish-brown bud sits above the middle of the leaf scar. Stems are green when young, turning brown with raised circular lenticels.

Ecological Functions:

Purdue Plant Doctor

Parts and Problems of Holly, Winterberry

Special Characteristics:

Groupings 211

Screen 190

Specimen 630

Pollution Tolerant 217

Slow Growth Rate 272

Winter Interest 117

Additional Information

'Old Heavy Berry' is an excellent, vigorous female cultivar with good winter hardiness and an abundance of large, bright red fruits. This species, like other hollies, is dioecious, so plant females for fruit and an occasional male for pollination. Winter desiccation injury can occur on leaves in exposed sites. Holly leaf miners are one of the major pest problems for Ilex opaca.