View source for American Winterberry

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Aquifoliaceae
|genus=Ilex
|species=verticillata
|common_name=American Winterberry
|name_ref=Wikipedia
|habit=shrub
|habit_ref=Wikipedia
|Min ht box=1
|Min ht metric=m
|Max ht box=5
|Max ht metric=m
|height_ref=Wikipedia
|features=deciduous
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Winterberry1.jpg
|image_width=240
|image_caption=Fruit in winter
}}
'''''Ilex verticillata''''' ('''American Winterberry''') is a species of [[holly]] native to  eastern [[North America]] in the [[United States]] and southeast [[Canada]], from [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] west to [[Ontario]] and [[Minnesota]], and south to [[Alabama]].<ref name=grin>Germplasm Resources Information Network: [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?19789 ''Ilex verticillata'']</ref>

It is a [[shrub]] growing to 1–5 m tall. It is one of a number of hollies which are [[deciduous]], losing their leaves in the fall. In wet sites, it will spread to form a dense thicket, while in dry soil it remains a tight shrub. The [[leaf|leaves]] are glossy green, 3.5–9&nbsp;cm long, 1.5–3.5&nbsp;cm broad, with a serrated margin and an acute apex. The [[flower]]s are small, 5&nbsp;mm diameter, with five to eight white petals. The [[fruit]] is a globose red [[drupe]] 6–8&nbsp;mm diameter, which often persists on the branches long into the winter, giving the plant its English name. Like most hollies, it is [[plant sexuality|dioecious]], with separate male and female plants; the proximity of at least one male plant is required to [[pollenizer|pollenize]] the females in order to bear fruit.<ref name=nymf>New York Metropolitan Flora: [http://nymf.bbg.org/profile_species_tech.asp?id=293 ''Ilex verticillata'']</ref><ref name=nl>Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador: [http://www.digitalnaturalhistory.com/flora_aquifoliaceae_index.htm#ilexverticillata Aquifoliaceae: Holly Family]</ref><ref>Bioimages: [http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/ilve.htm ''Ilex verticillata'']</ref>

The winterberry is prized for the midwinter splash of bright color from densely packed berries, whose visibility is heightened by the loss of foliage; therefore it is popular even where other, evergreen, hollies are also grown. 

The species occurs particularly in [[wetland]] habitats, but also on dry sand dunes and grassland. The berries are an important food resource for numerous species of [[bird]]s.<ref name=nymf/>

{{Inc|
Ilex verticillata, Gray (Prinos verticillatus, Linn.). Black Alder. Winterberry. Shrub, with spreading branches: lvs. obovate to oblanceolate or lanceolate, acuminate or acute, serrate or doubly serrate, usually pubescent beneath, 1 ½ -3 in. long, turning black after frost: all fls. short-stalked: fr. bright red, about ¼ in. across. June, July: fr. in Oct. Canada to Fla., west to Wis. and Mo. Ilex verticillata var. tenuifolia, Torr. (I. bronxensis, Brit.). Lvs. obovate, glabrous or pubescent, thin: fls. and frs. larger. Ilex verticillata var. chrysocarpa, Rob. Fra. bright yellow. Also I. fastigiata, Bicknell, from Nantucket, differing in its fastigiate habit and in the narrower lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate lvs., is probably only a variety of this species.—Very variable in shape and texture of lvs. One of the best hardy shrubs with ornamental frs. remaining on the branches until midwinter, and are rarely eaten by birds.
}}

==Cultivation==
It is a tough plant which is easy to grow, with very few diseases or pests. Although wet acidic soils are optimal, the winterberry will grow well in the average garden. Numerous [[cultivar]]s are available, differing in size and shape of the plant and color of the berry. At least one male plant must be planted in proximity to one or more females for them to bear fruit.

===Propagation===


===Pests and diseases===


==Varieties==
Other names that have been used include Black Alder Winterberry, Brook Alder, Canada holly
<ref> [http://www.nswildflora.ca/species/Aquifoliaceae/IlexVert/species.html Nova Scotia Wild Flora]</ref>,
Coralberry, Deciduous Holly, Deciduous Winterberry, False alder, Fever bush, Inkberry, Michigan Holly, Possumhaw, Swamp Holly, Virginian Winterberry, or Winterberry Holly.{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}}

==Gallery==

<gallery perrow=5>
File:American Winterberry Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' Cluster 3264px.jpg|
Image:Upload.png| photo 1
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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