New Hanover County’s Wonderful Hollies

New Hanover County’s Wonderful Hollies

by Carol Bales

This is the tenth of a series of Cape Fear area native plant articles to appear in Going Green. The articles will include stories about common native plants that would enhance any coastal North Carolina garden or landscape.

We have the perfect climate here in coastal North Carolina to grow ten native holly trees. Most of the varieties prefer sandy, acidic, moist and wet soils with full to partial sun exposure. These trees are very hardy and easy to propagate by cuttings. Their leaves are usually substantial, waxy and full of spikes. Their shiny red berries provide food for native birds. After growing to their full height of 10 to 30 feet, they provide dense shade if grown with closely growing woodland trees and shrubs.

I found great descriptions of hollies that are native to our area in my favorite gardening book, "Native Plants of the Southeast" by Larry Mellichamp. The book includes terrific photos by Will Stuart. The book helps one decide which variety would grow best in your chosen location. I also use "Field Guide to Eastern Trees," one of the Peterson’s Field Guides, authored by George A. Petrides. The guidebook provides detailed maps of where each variety of tree grows natively. Let us explore the ten native holly varieties, all of which are cataloged in the holly family, Aquifoliaceae.

American Holly, Ilex opaca, is found in moist bottomlands, growing to a mature height of 10 to 70 feet. Its nickname “Christmas Holly” references its use during the holiday season for its waxy, shiny leaves and bright red berries. Its wood is very dense and almost white in color and has been used by woodworkers for making piano keys, ship models and inlays. This tree is an evergreen and survives well in humid and hot subtropical climates. In spring, it blooms with inconspicuous small flowers on the female plant, but only if a male plant is nearby. Its fruit attracts many birds in the late fall and winter months. This tree needs room to stretch its limbs and can be used in public landscapes such as parks and school yards.

Although there are ten kinds of holly native to North Carolina, Ilex opaca, or American Holly, is the kind most people think of when seeking out decorations for winter holidays. American Holly trees prefer partial sun. These trees like slightly acidic sandy soil but can also tolerate some flooding, occasional drought and ocean salt spray.

© [Wojtek] / Adobe Stock

Yaupon Holly, Ilex vomitoria, is probably the second most grown variety. It is not as tall as the American Holly, growing to a height of 20 feet when mature. This evergreen tree grows well in sandy moist soil, well drained, and partial to full sun exposure. Its leaves are dark green and small, and its bright red berries cover the tree in late fall and winter. This is a good foundation plant for home and public landscapes, slow growing and tolerant of heat and humidity. Female trees require a male tree nearby to develop fruit. There are several cultivars that do not grow as high as the American Holly, and that grow faster, providing rewarding landscape uses. There are several mature specimens that are around 20 feet tall that grace public buildings in Wilmington. Yaupon Tea Company, located in Wilmington, sells teas made from the leaves of this holly.

Ilex vomitoria f. pendula. This holly is easy to prune to keep it to the desired height and shape. The leaves can be dried and used to make tea.

Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Big Gallberry Holly, Ilex coriacea, is commonly called Sweet Gallberry Holly. It is a shorter evergreen holly that grows in areas shaded by pine forest. The mature height is 10 to 15 feet. Big Gallberry Holly has white blossoms in the springtime, followed by shiny, black fruit. The berries are slow to fall off and that makes it an appetizing meal for songbirds.

Myrtle Holly, Ilex myrtifolia, is commonly called Myrtle Dahoon. This evergreen produces lots of red and orange berries, making it a nice tree to use for making greenery decorations around the holidays. It grows best in wet soil and doesn’t like to get dried out. Its mature height can reach 25 feet. This holly is rare but can be found in wet areas in our coastal region.

Dahoon Holly, Ilex cassine, is an evergreen holly. It is a shorter holly that can be used in some landscapes, reaching 12 to 15 feet at maturity. This holly produces orange-red berries in late fall and winter and although very bitter for human tastes, they are attractive to our native songbirds.

Inkberry Holly, Ilex glabra, commonly called Little Gallberry Holly or Appalachian Tea, is an evergreen shrub and the shortest holly native to the area. This holly forms a lovely 4- to 8-foot rounded shrub, ideal for landscaping. It requires full sun and moist soil to grow. If it dries out, it may stop producing flowers or berries, and might not survive a drought. The berries of this holly are black and shiny, making it easy to identify. It grows along swamps and bogs, in sandy sites and wooded areas.

Ilex glabra (Inkberry). Inkberry shrubs laden with berries grow on the edge of the woodland. Ilex glabra is an evergreen holly that produces fleshy black berries. The leaves can be dried and used to make tea.

Photo by scott.zona, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Possumhaw Holly, Ilex decidua, is a deciduous tree that reaches 20 feet in height. It likes to grow in wet sites and loses leaves in the late fall and winter. It produces shiny red berries that attract birds and other small wildlife. This holly likes to grow in clumps and is usually groomed to grow as an ornamental shrub. The female plants require a male plant close by to fertilize its blossoms in the spring.

Ilex decidua ‘Warren’s Red’ is also known as Deciduous Holly, Possumhaw, Possumhaw Holly and Warren’s Red Possumhaw. It likes to grow in wet sites and loses its leaves in the late fall and winter.

Photo by scott.zona, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Common Winterberry Holly, Ilex verticillata, is another deciduous holly that likes to grow in wet sites. It reaches 25 feet in height, given optimum growing conditions. It produces typical shiny red berries in the late fall and winter. If grown in acidic soil, it has dark green shiny foliage that is shed in the late fall and winter. The non-spiny leaves will turn yellow and faded if grown in alkaline soil. The branches produce mounds of fruit that are often used as decorations for the winter holidays. However, the female shrubs require a male shrub nearby in order to produce the berries.

Georgia Holly, Ilex longipes, is a tree that grows along streams and wooded slopes, happily sopping up the nutrients from the streamside soil. It can grow to 20 feet in height. This holly is sometimes called long stalked holly, or Chapman’s Holly. Its leaves are non-spiny, and they are shed in the late fall and winter. The berries are shiny red drupes that attract birds and small animals.

Carolina Holly, Ilex ambigua, is the last holly on our list that is known to be native to our geographical aea. It is not easy to find, as it prefers to grow in our wooded areas in the understory—the layer of vegetation beneath the main canopy of a forest. It is a deciduous tree that sheds its leaves in the winter and produces sparse shiny red berries. It is commonly known as Sand Holly.

Native Americans used the leaves of several of these hollies to make ceremonial tea. Many people ask whether holly berries are edible. While berries are relished by birds, they contain saponins and other toxins that make them too bitter to be enjoyed by humans. In fact, when ingested by people, they can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and drowsiness, even when as few as three berries are eaten. So, beware of holly berry tea and keep children away from the berries.

With that said, it is best to just admire the decorative uses of the lovely holly tree and avoid eating the berries. Many of our native plant nurseries and garden centers can help you to find the best holly for your gardening pleasure.

References:

Mellichamp, Larry. 2014. "Native Plants of the Southeast." Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, Inc.

Petrides, George A. and Peterson, Roger Tory. "Field Guide to Eastern Trees." Norwalk, Connecticut, the Easton Press, 1988.

Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons get dried out. Its mature height can reach 25 feet. This holly is rare

Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons get dried out. Its mature height can reach 25 feet. This holly is rare