Winterberry is most attractive during the fall and winter because of its persistent berries. It is cultivated as a landscape plant and there are many cultivars available. Another shrubby Holly species with deciduous leaves is Ilex decidua (Possumhaw), which is found primarily in southern Illinois. Possumhaw is similar in appearance to Winterberry, but its differs from the latter shrub by the following characteristics

This native shrub is 5-20' tall and sparingly to abundantly branched. The bark of twigs and young branches is gray or grayish brown and smooth, becoming covered with scattered white lenticels on older branches and the trunk. Deciduous alternate leaves occur along first-year shoots; these shoots are olive green, terete, and usually glabrous. The leaf blades are up to 3' long and 1' across; they are elliptic to ovate and shallowly serrated along their margins. The upper blade surfaces are medium to dark green and hairless, while their lower surfaces are pale green and slightly pubescent along the major veins. The slender petioles are up to ½' long and hairless to slightly pubescent.

Winterberry is an erect moderate sized shrub, growing to heights of 5 to 15 feet tall. The smooth bark of winterberry is gray to blackish, with knobby lenticels The dense branches of this shrub grow in a zigzag pattern with an upright spreading crown. The twigs are slender, with gray to gray-brown color and small buds.

The simple, smooth, obovate to oblong-ovate foliage is sharply double toothed, with medium fine texture. The deciduous leaves are arranged alternately along the stems. Each leaf is 1 1/2 to 4 inches long, with dark green summer color turning yellow in fall, then drop off by mid-October.

Small, inconspicuous, axillary, greenish to yellowish-white flowers bloom from April to July, after leaves have emerged. Like most others in the holly genus, winterberry is dioecious. Three years after planting, pistillate flowers begin to emerge in small clusters plants and staminate flowers develop on male plants with up to twelve flowers in a cluster; only now can plant gender be determined. Scarlet red to orange, globular fruit mature by late summer, often remaining on the plant into mid-winter. The berry-like fruit is about 1/4 inch in diameter, occurring singlely or in pairs, each containing 3 to 5 small nutlets. There are an average of 92,000 seeds per pound.

Winterberry is occasional in northern Illinois, but uncommon to absent elsewhere in the state. Habitats include bottomland woodlands, damp woodland borders, sandy flatwoods, soggy thickets, swamps, forested bogs and shrub bogs, and rocky banks of rivers. This shrub is found in both sandy and non-sandy woodlands, swamps, and thickets.

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Winterberry is found throughout the eastern United States. For a current distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Website.

Ilex verticillata var. cyclophylla B.L. Rob.:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Ilex verticillata var. tenuifolia (Torr.) S. Watson:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Ilex verticillata var. fastigiata (E.P. Bicknell) Fernald:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Ilex verticillata var. padifolia (Willd.) Torr. & A. Gray ex S. Watson:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Winterberry is occasional in northern Illinois, but uncommon to absent elsewhere in the state. Habitats include bottomland woodlands, damp woodland borders, sandy flatwoods, soggy thickets, swamps, forested bogs and shrub bogs, and rocky banks of rivers. This shrub is found in both sandy and non-sandy woodlands, swamps, and thickets.

Planting units of winterberry are propagated by seed, rooted stem divisions, and stem cuttings alike. The germination is usually hindered by hard seed coats and embryo dormancy. Utilizing proper after ripening and cold moist stratification procedures, germination can be stimulated. Seed should be covered with at least 1/8 to 1/2 inch of soil on nursery beds. Fall seedings should be mulched for winter protection.

When seedlings are acquired, the sex of the plant is typically indeterminable, in contrast to those propagated vegetatively. In late fall root suckers can be directly dug and transplanted, while actively growing softwood cuttings are taken from late spring to mid-summer. The cuttings are first placed under glass or plastic, but once roots form and begin to grow, they can be transplanted into containers or nursery beds for further development.

Utilize standard tree and shrub planting procedures to plant bare rooted transplants, containerized, or balled and burlapped stock.

The flowers are cross-pollinated by bees and possibly flies. The Andrenid bees, Andrena tridens and Andrena virginiana, are two such floral visitors of Winterberry. Insects that feed on the leaves of this shrub include the moths, Harrisimemna trisignata (Harris' Three-Spot) and Thysanopyga intractata (Black-Shouldered Gray), and the larvae of a small fly, Phytomyza verticillatae (Winterberry Leafminer). Although the bright red berries are not a preferred source of food, they are eaten by many songbirds and some upland gamebirds (see Bird Table). Because they persist in good condition through the winter, the berries are particularly important as a source of emergency food during the winter. The seeds are distributed to new areas by these berry-eating birds. The White-Footed Mouse eats the berries and its seeds, while White-Tailed Deer browse on the leaves and twigs to a limited extent.

Ilex verticillata (Winterberry)
(information is restricted to Andrenid bees; insect activity is unspecified; observations are from Krombein et al.)

Bees (short-tongued)
Andrenidae (Andreninae): Andrena tridens, Andrena virginiana

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 4
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

There are a number of ornamental varieties, selected for berry and leaf color, available from commercial nurseries. Local and regionally collected materials are available from native plant nurseries.

It is important to plant both male and females within 40 feet of one another for adequate pollination. For wildlife plantings, it is advantageous to plant higher numbers of females. Weed control by mowing or chemical application is necessary to keep competing vegetation from over-topping winterberries.

The preference is partial sun, wet to moist conditions, and an acidic soil that is sandy or peaty. Significant problems with disease organisms and insect pests are rarely encountered. Temporary flooding is tolerated. Both male and female shrubs should be planted to encourage fruit set.

The attractive bright red fruit of winterberry is eaten by small mammals and more than 48 species of birds. The leaves and stems of winterberry are not a preferred source of browse, but moose, whitetail deer, cottontail rabbits, and snowshoe hare do utilize this plant. The persistent bright red fruit of this shrub make it very popular for landscaping. It is recommended for planting in shady moist areas, even though its growth and form are best under open grown conditions.

Warning: Although this shrub species is a good provider of wildlife food, its fruits are poisonous to humans.