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| ## common winterberry {#common-winterberry .Title-Header}             |
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| *Ilex verticillata* (L.) Gray                                         |
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| Plant Symbol = ILVE                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program

![Color image of Common Winterberry (Ilex
verticillata)](media/image2.png){width="3.0in" height="2.0in"}

##### Warning: Although this shrub species is a good provider of wildlife food, its fruits are poisonous to humans.

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

The attractive bright red fruit of winterberry is eaten by small mammals
and more than 48 species of birds. The leaves and stems of winterberry
are not a preferred source of browse, but moose, whitetail deer,
cottontail rabbits, and snowshoe hare do utilize this plant. The
persistent bright red fruit of this shrub make it very popular for
landscaping. It is recommended for planting in shady moist areas, even
though its growth and form are best under open grown conditions.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description {#description .Header-3}

Winterberry is an erect moderate sized shrub, growing to heights of 5 to
15 feet tall. The smooth bark of winterberry is gray to blackish, with
knobby lenticels The dense branches of this shrub grow in a zigzag
pattern with an upright spreading crown. The twigs are slender, with
gray to gray-brown color and small buds.

The simple, smooth, obovate to oblong-ovate foliage is sharply double
toothed, with medium fine texture. The deciduous leaves are arranged
alternately along the stems. Each leaf is 1 1/2 to 4 inches long, with
dark green summer color turning yellow in fall, then drop off by
mid-October.

Small, inconspicuous, axillary, greenish to yellowish-white flowers
bloom from April to July, after leaves have emerged. Like most others in
the holly genus, winterberry is dioecious. Three years after planting,
pistillate flowers begin to emerge in small clusters plants and
staminate flowers develop on male plants with up to twelve flowers in a
cluster; only now can plant gender be determined. Scarlet red to orange,
globular fruit mature by late summer, often remaining on the plant into
mid-winter. The berry-like fruit is about 1/4 inch in diameter,
occurring singlely or in pairs, each containing 3 to 5 small nutlets.
There are an average of 92,000 seeds per pound.

##### Adaptation and Distribution {#adaptation-and-distribution .Header-3}

Winterberry is found throughout the eastern United States. For a current
distribution map, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species
on the PLANTS Website.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Planting units of winterberry are propagated by seed, rooted stem
divisions, and stem cuttings alike. The germination is usually hindered
by hard seed coats and embryo dormancy. Utilizing proper after ripening
and cold moist stratification procedures, germination can be stimulated.
Seed should be covered with at least 1/8 to 1/2 inch of soil on nursery
beds. Fall seedings should be mulched for winter protection.

When seedlings are acquired, the sex of the plant is typically
indeterminable, in contrast to those propagated vegetatively. In late
fall root suckers can be directly dug and transplanted, while actively
growing softwood cuttings are taken from late spring to mid-summer. The
cuttings are first placed under glass or plastic, but once roots form
and begin to grow, they can be transplanted into containers or nursery
beds for further development.

Utilize standard tree and shrub planting procedures to plant bare rooted
transplants, containerized, or balled and burlapped stock.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

It is important to plant both male and females within 40 feet of one
another for adequate pollination. For wildlife plantings, it is
advantageous to plant higher numbers of females. Weed control by mowing
or chemical application is necessary to keep competing vegetation from
over-topping winterberries.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

There are a number of ornamental varieties, selected for berry and leaf
color, available from commercial nurseries. Local and regionally
collected materials are available from native plant nurseries.

##### Prepared By & Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-species-coordinator .Header-3}

USDA NRCS Northeast Plant Materials Program

##### 

##### Edited: 05Feb2002 JLK; 060801 jsp {#edited-05feb2002-jlk-060801-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
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large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
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