Mountain Winterberry
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| Ilex montana Torrey & A.Gray |
Mountain Winterberry (Ilex montana) or Mountain Holly is a species of holly native to the United States, ranging along the Appalachian Mountains from southeast Massachusetts to northeast Alabama and northern Georgia.
It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 12 m tall. The leaves are 6-10 cm long and 1.8-3.5 cm broad, with a serrated margin and an acuminate apex. The fruit is a red berry containing four seeds.
Large leaved Sand Holly (Ilex ambigua) in the southeastern coastal plain are sometimes mistaken for Ilex montana. Longer leaves of Ilex montana are usually over 6.5 cm (2.5 inches), whereas Ilex ambigua rarely has leaves over 6.5 cm (2.5 inches).
[edit] References
- Krakow, Greg (1989) Key to Ilex (page 152), in Leonard E. Foote & Samuel B. Jones Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast.
