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Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray Winterberry, common winterberry
We live next to a beaver pond. Winterberry, a variety of holly, is widespread around the pond’s perimeter. While most holly varieties are evergreens, winterberries lose their leaves in the winter, leaving stunningly bright berries behind, berries that attract birds and persist for much of the winter. This woody shrub is present in much of the eastern half of the United States, even as far south as Florida, and in southeastern Canada. Here in Massachusetts I have seen it reach heights of 7′ (2.1 m) or so, but some varieties are up to 15′ (4.6 m) in height. Winterberries prefer wetlands. Plants: Hardy, multiple-stemmed shrub 6-10′ (1.8-3 m) tall and generally oval in shape, with gray branches with large white patches. Leaves: 1½-3″ (3.8-7.6 cm) × ¾-1¼″ (1.9-3.2 cm), elliptical in shape, with slight serrations. Flowers: Small ⅛″ (5 mm) white flowers have five to eight petals. Fruits: Round bright red fruits, ¼″ (6.3 mm) in diameter, persist through much of the winter. The fruits form in clusters or whorls around the stems. The cultivar ‘Red Sprite’ has larger, somewhat more plentiful berries, and is here growing in well-drained soil rather than its preferred acidic wet soils. There are many other cultivars available. Online References:
The University of Connecticut Plant Database The Ohio State University PLANTFacts database The University of Connecticut Plant Database The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
9/15/2016 · Cadillac Mountain Summit, Acadia, Bar Harbor, Maine
8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)
6/24/2021 · Hackett and Minot Trails, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.5 cm)
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 2½″ (9.8 × 6.6 cm)
9/28/2013 · Cadillac Mountain, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm)
6/24/2021 · Hackett and Minot Trails, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (10 × 7 cm)
8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm)
6/19/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 2″ (9 × 6 cm)
9/17/2023 · Sprague Pond Preserve, Basin Preserve, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)
9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts
10/6/2011 · Pack Monadnock, 2200', Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm)
8/24/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)
8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) Ilex bronxensis Britton Ilex fastigiata E.P. Bicknell Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray var. cyclophylla B.L. Rob. Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray var. fastigiata (E.P. Bicknell) Fernald Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray var. padifolia (Willd.) Torr. & A. Gray ex S. Watson Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray var. tenuifolia (Torr.) S. Watson
Ilex verticillata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 20 Sep 2023.
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9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)
8/24/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)
12/22/2011 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm)
6/20/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Broo, Hollis, New Hampshire
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)
9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm)
10/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm)
8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm)
9/11/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 14 cm)
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm)
9/15/2010 · Red Dot Trail, Long Lake Park, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm)
9/29/2013 · North Bubble Hike, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
6/20/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Broo, Hollis, New Hampshire Range:
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