Ilex opaca var. arenicola

scrub holly

Aquifoliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

12-20 ft

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms in spring. Fruits ripen in fall and persist into winter.

Noted For:

Showy Fruits, Thorns, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant. Slow growing.

Considerations:

Leaves have sharp spines. It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females.

Light:

Full Sun, 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:

9A,9B,10A

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Pollinated by bees.  Documented bee species include  Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Megachilepetulans and Xylocopa virginica krombeini (Deyrup et al. 2002). 

Fruits principally eaten by birds.

Native Habitats:

Scrub.