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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = American Winterberry
| status = {{StatusSecure}}
| image = winterberry1.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Aquifoliales]]
| familia = [[Aquifoliaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Ilex]]''
| species = '''''I. verticillata'''''
| binomial = ''Ilex verticillata''
}}
'''American Winterberry''' (''Ilex verticillata''), also known as Black Alder, Black Alder Winterberry, Brook Alder, Coralberry, Deciduous Holly, Deciduous Winterberry, False alder, Fever bush, Inkberry, Michigan Holly, Possumhaw, Striped Alder, Swamp Holly, Virginian Winterberry, White Alder, or Winterberry Holly, is a species of [[holly]] native to a very large area in the eastern [[United States]] and southeast [[Canada]], particularly in [[wetlands]]. The winterberry is one of a number of [[holly|hollies]] which are [[deciduous]], losing their leaves in the fall. 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.
The plant can show a lot of variation, ranging in size from 1-5 m tall. It also shows variation in width; in wet sites, it will spread to form a dense thicket, while in dry soil it remains a tight shrub. The winterberry possesses the glossy green foliage typical of hollies, and small white [[flower]]s which give rise to the numerous small red berries which give the plant its name.
[[Image:American Winterberry Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' Cluster 3264px.jpg|thumb|left|Ripe, red winterberries make a desired food for squirrels and winter birds]]
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 bare branches covered in berries are also popular for cutting and use in [[floristry|floral arrangements]]. 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. As described above, at least one male plant must be planted in proximity to one or more females for them to bear fruit.
The winterberry is also popular because its berries attract numerous species of [[bird]]s; however this can also be a drawback as they also attract [[deer]] and small [[mammal]]s. The berries were used by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] for medicinal purposes, the origin of the name "fever bush".
==External links==
* [http://www.inmygarden.org/archives/2004/12/great_americans_14.html Great Americans: Winterberry] from The Monday Garden
* [http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/ilve.htm ''Ilex verticillata'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
* [http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/ilex_verticillata.html NC State University: ''Ilex verticillata'']
*[http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Plants/i/ilever/ilever1.html UConn Plant Databae: ''Ilex verticillata'']
[[Category:Aquifoliales]]
[[Category:Flora of Canada]]
[[Category:Flora of the United States]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Ornamental plants]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = American Winterberry
| status = {{StatusSecure}}
| image = winterberry1.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Aquifoliales]]
| familia = [[Aquifoliaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Ilex]]''
| species = '''''I. verticillata'''''
| binomial = ''Ilex verticillata''
}}
'''American Winterberry''' (''Ilex verticillata''), also known as Black Alder, Black Alder Winterberry, Brook Alder, Coralberry, Deciduous Holly, Deciduous Winterberry, False alder, Fever bush, Inkberry, Michigan Holly, Possumhaw, Striped Alder, Swamp Holly, Virginian Winterberry, White Alder, or Winterberry Holly, is a species of [[holly]] native to a very large area in the eastern [[United States]] and southeast [[Canada]], particularly in [[wetlands]]. The winterberry is one of a number of [[holly|hollies]] which are [[deciduous]], losing their leaves in the fall. 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.
The plant can show a lot of variation, ranging in size from 1-5 m tall. It also shows variation in width; in wet sites, it will spread to form a dense thicket, while in dry soil it remains a tight shrub. The winterberry possesses the glossy green foliage typical of hollies, and small white [[flower]]s which give rise to the numerous small red berries which give the plant its name.
[[Image:American Winterberry Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' Cluster 3264px.jpg|thumb|left|Ripe, red winterberries make a desired food for squirrels and winter birds]]
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 bare branches covered in berries are also popular for cutting and use in [[floristry|floral arrangements]]. 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. As described above, at least one male plant must be planted in proximity to one or more females for them to bear fruit.
The winterberry is also popular because its berries attract numerous species of [[bird]]s; however this can also be a drawback as they also attract [[deer]] and small [[mammal]]s. The berries were used by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] for medicinal purposes, the origin of the name "fever bush".
==External links==
* [http://www.inmygarden.org/archives/2004/12/great_americans_14.html Great Americans: Winterberry] from The Monday Garden
* [http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/ilve.htm ''Ilex verticillata'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
* [http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/ilex_verticillata.html NC State University: ''Ilex verticillata'']
*[http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Plants/i/ilever/ilever1.html UConn Plant Databae: ''Ilex verticillata'']
[[Category:Aquifoliales]]
[[Category:Flora of Canada]]
[[Category:Flora of the United States]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Ornamental plants]]
