Ilex × meserveae 'Conapry' [sold as Blue Princess®]
Blue Princess Meserve Holly

Ilex × meserveae ′Conapry′ [sold as Blue Princess®] - Overall Habit

Family:

Aquifoliaceae (Holly Family) 18

Genus:

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

Plant Type:

Shrub 468

Growth Forms:

Upright 574

Hardiness:

USDA Zone 4 520

Deciduous / Evergreen:

Evergreen 262

Flower Notes:

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

Foliage Notes:

Green (Glossy, dark blue-green evergreen foliage)

Fruit Notes:

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

Ultimate Height:

10-15 feet

Ultimate Spread:

8-10 feet

Light Requirements:

Soil Notes:

Prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soils

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.

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Special Characteristics:

Pollution Tolerant 217

Slow Growth Rate 272

Winter Interest 117

Additional Information

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