Ilex × meserveae
Meserve Holly

Family:

Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family) 18

Genus:

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

Plant Type:

Shrub 468

Growth Forms:

Upright 563

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 5 246

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Evergreen 261

Flower Notes:

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

Foliage Notes:

Green (Lustrous dark green evergreen foliage)

Fruit Notes:

Red (Dioecious; beautiful red fruits on female plants in the fall)

Ultimate Height:

6 feet

Ultimate Spread:

6 feet

Light Requirements:

Soil Notes:

Prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soils

Diagnostic Characteristics:

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

Special Characteristics:

Pollution Tolerant 217

Slow Growth Rate 266

Winter Interest 112

Additional Information

This species, like other hollies, is dioecious, so plant females for fruit and an occasional male for pollination. Winter desiccation injury to leaves occurs in exposed sites.