Delaware State Tree – American Holly – Ilex opaca
American Holly Aquifoliaceae Ilex opaca
Leaf: Alternate, simple, and persistant, thickened and leathery, eliptical
in shape, 2 to 4 inches long, dark green and shiny above, pale green below with
entire or spiney-toothed margins.
Leaf: Alternate, simple, and persistant, thickened and leathery, eliptical
in shape, 2 to 4 inches long, dark green and shiny above, pale green below with
entire or spiney-toothed margins.
Flower: Dioecious, dull green-white, male flowers on 3 to 7 flowered cymes,
female flowers are solitary with a pleasant odor. Flowers apparent April to
June.
Fruit: A berrylike drupe, red, rarely yellow when ripe, 1/4 inch in diameter,
containing ribbed nutlets. Maturing September to October, persisting on tree
into winter.
Twig: Slender with rust-colored pubescence.
Bark: Light gray, with prominent warts.
Form: A small tree, with a thick crown and pyramidal form, usually with branches
to the ground.
Copyright 2019 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental
Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen,
Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson;Silvics reprinted from Ag
Handbook 654; range map source information
Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen,
Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson;Silvics reprinted from Ag
Handbook 654; range map source information