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AMERICAN
HOLLY and SCRUB HOLLY
Ilex opaca Ait. and I. opaca var. arenicola Ashe
(EYE-leks o-PAY-ka)
General:
This is the holly we
associate with Christmas.
The name of the variety
arenicola means “grows in a sandy place.” It is only found in a
very limited area of scrubs from Marion to Highlands Counties.
Though it is not listed as an endangered species, it is quite
scarce. As more scrubs make way for housing developments,
shopping centers and parking lots, most scrub species will be added to
the threatened or endangered list.
Flowers/Fruit:
The tiny white, 4
petaled flowers are dioecious, that is male and female flowers on
different trees; males in clusters, females single or in pairs.The
fruit is a round, red drupe born in small clusters in the leaf axils.
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American
Holly (Ilex opaca)
Leaves/Stems:
The stiff, glossy
leaves from 3.5 – 10 cm. (1.5 – 4 in.) have several pointed tips, but
occasionally only 1, each tipped with a sharp spine. The leaves
of the variety arenicola are smaller, curled and held more upright,
typical of many scrub plants. These are adaptations to conserve
moisture.
The bark is smooth and
gray, often splotched with crustose lichens.
Distribution:
It ranges from
Massachusetts, southward to north central Florida and west to Indiana
and Texas. The range of the variety arenicola is very large.
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