Winterberry, Black Alder, Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray, Native Minnesota Wildflower shrub, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Winterberry	Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray	Holly	Woodland	Early Summer
Other names and notes	(Black Alder). A large shrub growing in the bog, forming red 1/4 inch berries in the fall, assuming that there are both male and female plants nearby as the sexes are separate. It takes about 3 years for seedlings to develop their flowers. The small greenish-white flowers form in the leaf axils in early summer in our climate. The leaves are sharply and double toothed. The berries are very attractive and are eaten by about 50 species of birds, HOWEVER, the fruit is poisonous to humans. In the landscape it should be planted in moist areas. It can grow to 15 feet high with dense branches. Plants can be developed from rooted stem divisions and stem cuttings.


Above: The blooms appear in early July and the red fruit shown here in late September.

Notes: This plant is indigenous to the Garden area. Eloise Butler catalogued it on April 29, 1907. There are acquisitions by Eloise Butler. Plants were obtained from Stanchfield, MN on Sept. 6, 1921 and from Round Lake, MN on Sept. 24, 1924. The plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of Garden Shrubs. She has planted specimens in June 1933 and in 1935. It is possible that these died back at sometime as when Garden Curator Ken Avery retired the Friends of the Wild Flower Garden had this species planted in his honor. It was Mr. Avery's choice of plant - "Minnesota Holly" as he called it. It took Gardener Cary George a while to find the correct species, but he planted them in 1987 and the existing specimens are presumably these. This is the only Holly native to Minnesota, it is found in the more moist areas of the eastern half of the state from the metro area north and in a few counties in SE Minnesota. In North America it is native to all states along and east of the Mississippi River and to those Canadian provinces northward of that.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33. Distribution principally from W2 and also 30, 33 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4, 11. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

©2008-2010 Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Inc. All photos are the property of The Friends of the Wild Flower Garden unless otherwise credited. Web: "http://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org"

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