Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Carolina holly, sand holly

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Ilex ambigua

Family:

Aquifoliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

to 15 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Fruits ripen in late summer and persist into winter.

Noted For:

Showy Fruits

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Plant as a small understory tree. Good as a general background plant that is appropriate to wildlife.

Considerations:

It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females.

Availability:

Propagation:

Softwood cuttings started in spring. Seeds of most holly species require 2-3 years of dormancy before they will germinate.

Light:

Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Bees pollinate flowers. 

Fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals.

Native Habitats:

Dry hammocks, sandhills, scrub, dunes.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments: