Scientific Name | Ilex opaca |
Common Name | American Holly |
Hardiness Zone | 5 to 9 |
Size | 40 to 50' tall but 15 to 30' more normal in the landscape - 18 to 40' spread |
Growth Rate | Slow to moderate |
Exposure | Partial to full sun |
Group | Tree - Evergreen |
Characteristics | Alternate, simple, dull to dark green leaves but paler underneath. No twist in the leaf. Fatter leaf. One to seven spines on each side, all the way down the leaf. Not normally lustrous. Densely pyramidal in youth with branches to the ground but more open and irregular in maturity with a rounded crown. |
Landscape Uses | Specimen tree. Requires male and female for fruit set. Use a superior cultivar - there are so many more interesting hollies than this one. |