winterberry holly
Ilex verticillata
Unlike classic evergreen hollies, winterberry is deciduous, dropping all its leaves in autumn to reveal densely clustered, bare branches of brilliant red fruit.
- Scientific name
- Ilex verticillata
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Aquifoliales › Aquifoliaceae › Ilex
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Swamps, bogs, wet meadows, and damp woodlands.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic (absorbs water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight).
- Range
- Eastern United States, Eastern Canada
- Size
- 1.5 to 4.5 meters (5 to 15 feet) tall
- Lifespan
- 20 to 40 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland destruction, habitat fragmentation, and competition from invasive wetland plants.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch, but defensive if ingested. The vibrant red berries contain saponins which are toxic to humans, dogs, and cats. Enjoy their winter beauty from any distance. If berries are accidentally consumed, monitor for nausea or vomiting and seek medical advice or contact poison control.
Ilex verticillata , the winterberry , is a species of holly native to eastern North America in the United States and southeast Canada, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to Alabama.
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/bad27ac3-e7f3-4d2a-bb0d-bf7746823278.md