Native Plant Spotlight: Ilex opaca ‘Maryland Dwarf’ – American Holly
Evergreen Native Plants
Ilex opaca – American Holly ‘Maryland Dwarf’
Ilex opaca ‘Maryland Dwarf’ is a dwarf-spreading American holly cultivar which typically grows to 3′ tall and spreads to as much as 10′ wide. May grow slightly taller but is easily kept compact through regular pruning. This cultivar is synonymous with and sometimes sold as ‘Maryland Spreader’. A typical ten-year old specimen will be about two feet tall and ten feet wide, with dense evergreen, spiny foliage. The thick, leathery, deep green leaves have spiny marginal teeth.
The straight species is dioecious (male and female flowers are on separate trees). ‘Maryland Dwarf’ is a female plant, and will produce red fruits if there is a male Ilex opaca nearby. Greenish-white flowers bloom May-June. Bright red or orange fruits (drupes to 1/4- 1/2″ diameter) ripen in fall and persist on the tree through winter. Birds enjoy the berries and the shelter that hollies provide. Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Bluebirds, Catbirds, Mockingbirds, and Cardinals have all been spotted enjoying the berries.
Ilex opaca is the host plant for various species of moth including Holly Sallow Moth and members of the genus Rhopobota. Their leaves are frequently mined by larvae of the leaf-mining flies Phytomyza opacae and Phytomyza ilicicola.
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Common Name: American holly
Type: Broadleaf evergreen
Family: Aquifoliaceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 10.00 feet
Bloom Time: May
Bloom Description: Greenish-white
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Hedge
Flower: Insignificant
Leaf: Evergreen
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Deer, Clay Soil, Air Pollution
(Information from Missouri Botanical Garden)
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Ilex opaca berries
Ilex opaca bush foliage