• Photo of Ilex myrtifolia (Ilex myrtifolias)

Plant Profile: Ilex myrtifolia

Taxonomy: Ilex myrtifolia

Names

Myrtle Leaf Holly

  • Photo of Ilex myrtifolia (Ilex myrtifolias)

Phonetic Spelling:EYE-leks mir-tih-FOH-lee-uh

Genus:Ilex

Species:myrtifolia

Family:Aquifoliaceae

Myrtle leaf holly, a member of the Aquifoliaceae family, is a shrub characterized by its reddish berries and grayish bark. This plant is particularly admired for its striking red and yellow fruits that appear during the fall and winter months. It thrives in moist environments, often found in shallow wetlands, making it an excellent choice for hedges in such areas. To propagate this shrub, softwood cuttings should be taken in the spring. If opting for seed propagation, it's important to note that most holly species require a dormancy period of two to three years before they will sprout. Additionally, this plant exhibits moderate tolerance to salt.

Ilex myrtifolia Feature Summary

Ilex myrtifolia Image Gallery

Tags

#salt tolerant
#winter interest
#wetlands
#showy fruits
#hedges
#wet sites

Similar Plants

Ilex myrtifolia Feature Summary

Attributes
Fruits are attractive to birds. Members of the genus Ilex support the following specialized bee: Colletes banksi.
Fruit
Berry like drupe 1/4 inch diameter, usually red but may be yellow; persistent.
Red/Burgundy
Gold/Yellow
< 1 inch
Flowers
The flowers are dioecious. The male flowers are small, greenish white in short branched clusters. The female flowers have 4 small greenish white petals and can occur solitary or in small clusters.
White
Green
Spring
Summer
4-5 petals/rays
< 1 inch
Leaves
Thick shiny evergreen leaves are oblong, oblanceolate or lanceolate, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long with entire margins or sometimes a few sharp teeth above the middle. Undersides are paler.
Oblong
Lanceolate
Oblanceolate
1-3 inches
Glossy
Smooth
< 1 inch
Bark
Dark Gray, thin, smooth to warty when young but becoming scaly with age.
Dark Gray
Whole Plant Traits
Shrub
Native Plant
Pyramidal
Open
Oval
Medium
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Acid (<6.0)
Good Drainage
Occasionally Wet
Frequent Standing Water
12-24 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
8b
8a
9a
9b
10a
10b
11a
11b
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Landscape
Pollinator Garden
Winter Garden
Native Garden
Hedge
Screen/Privacy
Specimen
Woodland
Naturalized Area
Songbirds

Ilex myrtifolia Attributes

Ilex myrtifolia: Country Or Region Of Origin

Alabama

Ilex myrtifolia: Wildlife Value

Fruits are attractive to birds. Members of the genus Ilex support the following specialized bee: Colletes banksi.

Ilex myrtifolia: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Ilex myrtifolia: Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Ilex myrtifolia Fruit

Ilex myrtifolia: Fruit Description

Berry like drupe 1/4 inch diameter, usually red but may be yellow; persistent.

Ilex myrtifolia: Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Ilex myrtifolia: Fruit Color

grass
Gold/Yellow
grass
Red/Burgundy

Ilex myrtifolia: Fruit Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Ilex myrtifolia: Display/Harvest Time

Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter

Ilex myrtifolia: Fruit Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches

Ilex myrtifolia: Fruit Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches

Ilex myrtifolia Flowers

Ilex myrtifolia: Flower Description

The flowers are dioecious. The male flowers are small, greenish white in short branched clusters. The female flowers have 4 small greenish white petals and can occur solitary or in small clusters.

Ilex myrtifolia: Flower Color

filter_vintage
Green
filter_vintage
White

Ilex myrtifolia: Flower Inflorescence

Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel

Ilex myrtifolia: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Ilex myrtifolia: Flower Petals

2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals

Ilex myrtifolia: Flower Size

1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches

Ilex myrtifolia Leaves

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Description

Thick shiny evergreen leaves are oblong, oblanceolate or lanceolate, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long with entire margins or sometimes a few sharp teeth above the middle. Undersides are paler.

Ilex myrtifolia: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Color

spa
Green

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Ilex myrtifolia: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Feel

Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy

Ilex myrtifolia: Leaf Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Ilex myrtifolia Bark

Ilex myrtifolia: Bark Description

Dark Gray, thin, smooth to warty when young but becoming scaly with age.

Ilex myrtifolia: Bark Color

grass
Dark Gray

Ilex myrtifolia: Surface/Attachment

Bumpy
Exfoliating
Fissured
Furrowed
Lenticels
Papery
Patchy
Peeling
Ridges
Scaly
Shaggy
Shiny
Shredding
Smooth
Spongy

Ilex myrtifolia Whole Plant Traits

Ilex myrtifolia: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Ilex myrtifolia: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Ilex myrtifolia: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Ilex myrtifolia: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Ilex myrtifolia: Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Ilex myrtifolia: Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Ilex myrtifolia Cultural Conditions

Ilex myrtifolia: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Ilex myrtifolia: Soil pH

Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)

Ilex myrtifolia: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Ilex myrtifolia: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Ilex myrtifolia: NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Ilex myrtifolia: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
10a
thermostat
10b
thermostat
11a
thermostat
11b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Ilex myrtifolia: Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Ilex myrtifolia Stem

Ilex myrtifolia: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Ilex myrtifolia Landscape

Ilex myrtifolia: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Ilex myrtifolia: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Ilex myrtifolia: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Ilex myrtifolia: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Ilex myrtifolia: Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees