Plant Family: Aquifoliaceae
Growth Form: Slow growing, small to medium-sized tree with a pyramidal shape.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, stiff, evergreen, 5 – 10 cm long, margins with sharp spines.
Bark: Mottled gray, smooth on young trees, warty and bumpy on mature trees.
Flowers: Dioecious, male flowers small, greenish white, in short open clusters; female flowers small, dull white, with 4 petals, on short stalks along the branches, pollination is by insects; May to June.
Fruits: Bright red berry-like drupes, 1 cm in diameter, July into winter.
Habitat: Moist woods, swamp edges, will also tolerate drier sites.
Range: American Holly is a southern tree that reaches the northern limit of its range on the coastal plain of southern New England; it is absent from northern and central New England.
Key Feature: The stiff, evergreen, spiny leaves are unique to this species.
Comments: The fruits are an important food source for many birds but should be avoided by people. Hundreds of different cultivars have been created by plant breeders for ornamental use; many of these may be seen at the Ashumet Holly Reservation on Cape Cod. Male plants must be nearby for the female plants to produce fruits. American Holly is the state tree of Delaware.
