Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite'
Red Sprite Common Winterberry

Also known as: Ilex verticillata 'Macrocarpa', Ilex verticillata 'Nana', Ilex verticillata 'Compacta'

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 3 230

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Deciduous 836

Flower Notes:

White (Spring, dioecious; small and not ornamentally important)

Foliage Notes:

Green (Lustrous medium green summer foliage); Yellow (Yellow-brown to occasionally showy yellow to purple-tinged)

Fruit Notes:

Red (Very showy, large, bright red berries emerge in late summer and persist into winter)

Ultimate Height:

3-5 feet

Ultimate Spread:

3-5 feet

Light Requirements:

Soil Notes:

Prefers moist, acid soils; tolerates heavy, poorly drained soils

Diagnostic Characteristics:

Leaves (1.5-3" long and 0.5-1" wide) are alternate, simple, and finely pubescent beneath (at least on veins) and have finely serrated margins. Buds very small (0.06" long). Stems angled, olive-brown to purplish-brown, finely pubescent and lenticelled, peeling when older. Raised leaf scar with two blackish projections on side. Fruits, 3/8-1/2" dia., are larger than the species type.

Special Characteristics:

Pollution Tolerant 217

Wet Soil Tolerant 109

Slow Growth Rate 271

Winter Interest 115

Additional Information

'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.