Ilex crenata

Ilex crenata

Common name: box-leaved holly, Japanese holly

Family: Aquifoliaceae

Leaf: ovate to elliptic, glossy dark green, small, 10-30mm long, with a crenate margin, sometimes spiny

Flowers: dioecious, white, four-lobed

Fruit: black drupe, 5mm

Height: 5-10'; Spread: 5-10'

Habit: dense, multi-branched evergreen shrub or small tree; Form: mounded

Culture: Grows well in acidic soil, with a pH of 3.7- 6.0. Grow in avergae, medium moisture, well-drained soils ranging from moist to dry and from sand to clay. Prefers light, acidic soils with good drainage. Established plants have some tolerance for drought. Females need male plants present for fruiting occur.Hardy in USDA zones 5-8. Plants may struggle in the summer heat of zones 8-9.

Uses: mass or in groupings. Hedge,or foundation plantings

Origin: China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan