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Chinese holly

Ilex cornuta

Also called Horned Holly

Chinese holly
Photo: Casliber, CC BY-SA 3.0
Family
Aquifoliaceae (Aquifoli family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun
Water
Drought tolerant
Native range
C. & S. China to S. Korea, Hainan
Climate
temperate

About

Ilex cornuta, commonly known as Chinese holly or horned holly, is a slow-growing, densely foliaged evergreen shrub in the Aquifoliaceae plant family. It is native to eastern China and Korea and attains a height of about 3 metres (9.8 ft). The leaves are usually 5-spined (sometimes 4), between 3.5 cm and 10 cm long, oblong and entire. The fruits are red berries, which are larger than those of the European Holly (Ilex aquifolium).

Ilex cornuta is valued horticulturally for its attractive and distinctive rectangular foliage and for its large red berries. Several cultivars and hybrids have been introduced by the horticultural trade, including 'Burfordii' (compact and free-fruiting), 'Dazzler' (large fruits), 'Dwarf Burfordii' (particularly compact), and 'Nellie R. Stevens' (a hybrid with I. aquifolium, very free-fruiting).

Where it grows

Ilex cornuta is native to the central and southeastern parts of China, Hainan, and Korea. Ilex cornuta was introduced to the United States and is currently considered invasive. It has been observed naturalized in the eastern United States, found most prominently in North Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky.

Other Ilex plants

Ilex abscondita · Ilex acutidenticulata · Ilex affinis · Ilex altiplana · Carolina holly · Sarvis holly · Ilex amygdalina · Ilex andicola · Hawai'i holly · Ilex anonoides · English holly · Ilex aracamuniana

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ilex cornuta by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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