Ilex x meserveae
Meserve Hybrid Holly
Mature Size, Growth, Longevity
Average mature size is 8-12' tall and 8-10' wide. Pyramidal to rounded habit, with horizontal to irregular branching. Generally dense and shrubby. Moderate growth rate.
Flower and Fruit Details
Flowers are small, white, occurring in late April into May, dioecious, with male plants slightly showier than female while they are in flower. Fruits are shiny, bright red (some cultivars yellow), 0.33" diameter, only on female plants. Quite showy. Fruits mature in the fall. They attract robins, bluebirds, catbirds, mockingbirds, and several other songbirds.
Leaf and Bark Features
Evergreen: Leaves are 1-2.5" long, and 0.75-1.25" wide, alternate, simple, evergreen, glossy, thick and leathery, with 4-8 spines on each margin, and dark green to blue-green, with impressed veins on top side. Young stems are stout and bluish-purple to green and reddish purple, often with slight ridges. Bark changes from green to brown on older wood, but is generally hidden by the foliage.
Culture and Care
Prefers well-drained soil. Zone 5. A male pollinator plant is needed within 300' of females to yield good fruit set on the female plants. Prefers full sun, handles light shade (which yields a more open plant). Prefers moist, slightly acidic soils. Black root rot can be a serious problem in wet, poorly-drained soils.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts
Good wildlife value. 4-season interest: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Leaves may desiccate and scorch in extremely windy, exposed winter sites, especially with an open, southerly or westerly exposure. Mrs. Kathleen Meserve of New York made hybrid crosses in the 1950's between Ilex rugosa and Ilex aquifolium, that resulted in this series of Conard-Pyle Nurseries' initial releases of showy, landscape shrubs with ornamental fruits on female plants.
Suggested Uses
Landscape uses include hedges, foundation plant, barriers, mass plantings, and wildlife plantings.
Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA
The following taxa are (or were) represented in the collections at Boone County Arboretum. Additional taxa may be available in the trade that are not included here.
Ilex x meserveae // Meserve Hybrid Holly, Meserve Holly ("straight species")
Shrub.
-- not currently in our collection --Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Prince' // Blue Prince® Meserve Holly, Blue Prince® Holly
Shrub. A lustrous, leathery, dark green MALE form (no fruit) that produces high amounts of pollen, for excellent pollination of female cultivars. Shrubby, dense habit, somewhat broad pyramidal to upright-compact, 8-12' tall and 6-10' wide. Easily pruned into any shape. Four to 8 small spines on each side of leaf.Very cold hardy with little to no winter discoloration of its shiny dark green foliage, even down to -17°F. Introduced in 1972.
Bed 2Ilex x meserveae 'Blue Princess' // Blue Princess® Meserve Holly, Blue Princess® Holly
Shrub. Average mature size 15' tall and 10' wide. Broad and shrubby to upright compact-rounded. FEMALE form with red fruits, to 5/16" diameter, more abundant and darker than 'Blue Girl'. Considered to be the best fruit producer and most cold-hardy among the Meserve hybrids. Dark olive-green, glossy, ovate leaves, 0.75-1.5" long and 0.63-0.75" wide, hold up well to cold winters. Introduced 1973.
Bed 2Ilex x meserveae 'Honey Maid' // Honey Maid Blue Holly, Honey Maid Holly
Shrub. Showy variegated foliage: blue-green leaves with creamy-white to yellow margins. May not be highly stable, and may begin to revert back to more green leaves over the years. Grows 8-10' tall and wide. Cold-hardy, moderate to fast-growing, forming a broad pyramid, with good red fruits. The result of a branch sport from Blue Maid.
Bed 226Ilex x meserveae 'Mesdob' // China Boy® Meserve Holly, China Boy® Holly
Shrub. A compact, mounded, or rounded shaped MALE form (no fruit) pollinator for 'China Girl'. Leaf margins turn under, giving a cupping effect to the glossy-green leaves. Grows to 10' tall and 8' wide. Leaves with 2-3 spines per side. Excellent cold hardiness, down to about -20°F, and also has good heat tolerance. More cold and heat tolerant than the Blue Hollies, and more resistant to black root rot disease as well. Developed by crossing Ilex cornuta and I. rugosa. Introduced in 1979.
Bed 3Ilex x meserveae 'Mesgolg' // Golden Girl® Meserve Holly, Golden Girl® Holly
Shrub. Broad pyramidal to compact, upright spreading habit, 12-15' tall and 10-12' wide, with dense, blue-green foliage. FEMALE form. Brilliant yellow fruits are orange beneath. This was the first yellow-fruited Meserve Holly introduction, introduced in 1989. Leaves are dark olive-green, elliptic, about 2" long and to 13/16" wide, with 3-5 spines on each side.
Bed 2Ilex x meserveae 'Mesid' // Blue Maid® Meserve Holly, Blue Maid® Holly
Shrub. Average mature size 8-15' tall and 6-10' wide, fast growing and has a good, broad, pyramidal shape, or compact, upright, spreading. FEMALE form with abundent fruit set, producing a good crop of red, globose, 3/8" fruits, 1-5 in a cluster. Considered one of the hardiest of the Meserve Holly group. Leaves dark olive-green, elliptic, slightly keeled, curved, to 2 3/8" long and 1 3/8" wide, with 4-6 small spines on each side. Stems green to purplish. Uses: privacy screen, or in borders.
Bed 2Ilex x meserveae 'Mesog' // China Girl® Meserve Holly, China Girl® Holly
Shrub. Average size in most landscapes is 3-5' tall and wide, but mature size is 10' tall and wide. FEMALE form with abundant, large, 1/3" diameter red fruits. Lustrous green foliage, not as dark as the Blue series, leaves tend to cup (margins turn down and in). Leaves may turn off-color in severe winters. Excellent heat tolerance.
Bed 3