Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite'

Red Sprite Common Winterberry

'Red Sprite' is compact, dense and rounded with an excellent show of large, bright red berries in winter. Fruiting color best in full sun. This species, like other hollies, is dioecious, and 'Red Sprite' is female. Plant this cultivar for fruit and an occasional male, such as 'Jim Dandy' or 'Appollo' for pollination. Adaptable to wet soils, but tolerates more normal conditions also. Native habitats are swampy areas. Leaf spot and mildew can be serious problems. Develops chlorosis on alkaline soils.