Ilex crenata

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Average mature size is 5-10' tall, possibly to 20' tall, with an equal to larger width. Size and habit is variable in the wild, but most cultivars are a dense, compact, much-branched shrub. Slow growing.

Native Range

Native to Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Philippines and the Himalayas. Introduced into the U.S. by Arnold Arboretum, 1898.

Flower and Fruit Details

Flowers are dioecious, unisexual, dull greenish-white, in the leaf axils of current season's growth, with 4 petals, May-June. Male 3-7 together in cymes, female usually solitary. Not showy. Fruit is a berry-like, globose, black drupe on female plants, 0.25" diameter, September-October, sometimes persisting until spring but somewhat inconspicuous under foliage.

Leaf and Bark Features

Evergreen: Leaves are alternately arranged, simple, elliptic or obovate, evergreen, 0.5-1.25" long, 0.25-0.63" wide, serrulate, on a short petiole. Color varies by cultivar from dull flat to lustrous dark green above, dotted with glands beneath. Bark on current seasons growth is normally green, turning gray-green to gray-brown in second or third year. Often densely pubescent on young stems.

Culture and Care

Prefers light, moist, well-drained slightly acidic soils, adaptable to sun or shade, tolerant of urban conditions. Prune after new growth hardens off. Zone 5-6(8) depending on cultivar. Chlorosis can occur on alkaline soils. Spider mites can be troublesome. Nematodes are a problem in the South. Quite susceptible to Thielaviopsis (black knot).

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

May not be reliably winter hardy throughout USDA Zone 5 where it should be grown in a protected location with a winter mulch

Suggested Uses

Use for textural differences in foundation plantings, hedges and masses. Withstands heavy pruning, but looks better when kept natural

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA