Ilex cornuta
| Ilex cornuta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| as penjing, Shanghai Botanical Garden | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Aquifoliales |
| Family: | Aquifoliaceae |
| Genus: | Ilex |
| Species: | I. cornuta |
| Binomial name | |
| Ilex cornuta Lindl. | |
Ilex cornuta (the Chinese holly or horned holly) is a species of the genus Ilex in the plant family Aquifoliaceae. It is native to eastern China and Korea.[1] It is a slow-growing, densely foliaged evergreen shrub that attains a height of 3 metres (10 feet). The leaves are usually 5-spined (sometimes 4), between 3.5 cm and 10 cm long,[2] oblong and entire. The fruits are red berries that 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).
Ilex cornuta and its cultivars will tolerate a wide variety of soils and will grow in sun or shade.