Ilex ambigua
Carolina holly, sand holly
Aquifoliaceae
Plant Specifics
Form:
tree
Size:
to 15 ft
Life Span:
long-lived perennial
Flower Color:
white
Fruit Color:
red
Phenology:
Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruits ripen in late summer and persist into winter.
Noted For:
Showy Fruits
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Plant as a small understory tree. Good as a general background plant that is appropriate to wildlife.
Considerations:
It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females.
Light:
Part Sun
Moisture Tolerance:
Not wet but not extremely dry ---- to ---- Very long very dry periods
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Unknown
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Sand
Suitable to Grow In:
8A,8B,9A,9B
Ecology
Wildlife:
Pollinators, Birds, Mammals
Bees pollinate flowers.
Fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals.
Native Habitats:
Dry hammocks, sandhills, scrub, dunes.
