Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

inkberry, gallberry

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Ilex glabra

Family:

Aquifoliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

6-12 ft tall by 2-3 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

black

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms in spring. Black fruits ripen in fall persisting into winter.

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Good background plant. Can make a good screen. Becomes scraggly if overly shaded, but may be trimmed back for bushier growth. Clonal.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Friends

Propagation:

Naturally clonal, so easily started from new offshoots. Seeds of most holly species require 2-3 years of dormancy before they will germinate.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Somewhat 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,10A,10B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds

Bees pollinate flowers. Documented bees include  Colletes banksi, C. brimleyi, C. inandibularis, C. nudus, Perdita floridensis, Agapostemon splendens, Augochlora pura, Augochloropsis anonyma, A. metallica, Dialictus coreopsis, D. miniatulus, D. nyinphalis, D. placidensis, D. tegularis, Sphecodes brachycephalus, S. heraclei, Anthidiellum notatum rufimaculatum, A. perplexum, Anthidium maculifrons, Coelioxys sayi, Dianthidium floridiense, Megachile albitarsis, M. brevis pseudobreuis, M. exilis parexilis, M. mendica, M. petulans, M. policaris, M. rugifrons, M. texana, M. xylocopoides, Epeolus erigeronis, E. glabratus, E. pusillus, E. zonatus, Apis mellifera (honeybee), Bombus impatiens, Xylocopa micans and X. virginica krombeini (Deyrup et al. 2002).

Fruits are eaten by birds though it is bitter and often eaten as a last resort.

Native Habitats:

Low flatwoods, cutthroat seeps, dry prairie, coastal swales, bogs, sinks.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Rarely planted.