Delaware State Tree
American Holly (common name) Ilex opaca (scientific name) Overview Adopted as Delaware's state tree in 1939, American holly is native to 23 eastern and central states. Often called Christmas holly or evergreen holly, it is unmistakable with its evergreen prickly leaves and red berries. American holly is a small tree that grows in deciduous forests. The largest trees are found in the rich bottomlands and swamps of the coastal plain. Additional common names include dune holly, hummock holly, and scrub holly. Close-up STATUS Official PHYSICAL DETAILS American holly is a small evergreen tree with shiny, dark green leaves. Its flowers are small and greenish-white, growing in short-stalked clusters in spring. Female trees produce bright red berries in winter. The fruit ripen from September through December and remain on the tree through most of the winter. American holly is a native tree that normally grows to about 60 feet (18.5 m). Its evergreen leaves are leathery, with sharp pointed tips. The branches are short and crooked, and the crown is rounded or pyramidal. The fruit is round and bright red, orange, or occasionally yellow. The bark is thin, gray, and often warty. Height: up to 100 ft (30 m) Diameter: up to 20 in (50.8 cm) Bark: thin, gray Fruit: small and red, 0.25-0.5 in (6-12 mm) in diameter containing four seeds Leaves: leathery, evergreen with sharp tips, 2-4 in (5-10 cm) long LIFESPAN Relative to other trees, holly has a slow growth rate and a moderate lifespan. American holly normally reaches about 100 years of age, and some trees have lived for 150 years. HABITAT American holly commonly grows in longleaf pine and slash pine forests of the coastal plain. A slow-growing tree, American holly is often surpassed by faster growing trees. It tolerates shade easily and can survive under forest canopies. IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE Birds are the principal consumers of American holly fruit, although deer, squirrels, and other small animals eat them.  At least 18 species of birds, including songbirds, mourning doves, wild turkeys, and northern bobwhite, are known to eat the fruit. Cattle and deer sometimes browse the foliage. OTHER USES AND VALUES The wood of American holly is heavy, tough, and close-grained. It shrinks considerably, warps badly unless properly seasoned, and is not durable under exposure. The wood is used for veneer and to a limited extent as pulpwood and lumber. The greatest use of the wood of American holly is for cabinets, novelties, handles, fixtures, and scientific instruments. When dyed black to resemble ebony, American holly is used for piano keys, violin pegs, and fingerboards. Because holly wood is naturally hard and polishes up nicely, the pieces in fine chess sets are often made of holly wood. Ornamental uses of holly, chiefly as a Christmas decoration, have proved more important than its use for lumber. American holly plays a major role in the horticulture industry. REPRODUCTION American holly is pollinated by insects, including bees, ants, wasps, and night-flying moths. Seed germination is slow, requiring 16 months to 3 years in nature. Mainly birds and small mammals disperse the seeds. American holly also sprouts from dormant buds. SITE CHARACTERISTICS American holly is primarily a plant of the humid southeastern United States. It occupies a wide variety of soils, from nearly sterile, sandy Atlantic beaches to dry, gravelly inland soils, to fertile but thin mountain soils. Growth is best in moist, slightly acidic, well-drained sites. Trees can tolerate only minor flooding or saturated soils. LOCATION/ELEVATION From the seaside forests of Massachusetts, American holly is scattered along the coast south to Delaware. Its inland range extends to several Pennsylvania counties and to extreme southeastern Ohio. It occurs southward throughout the coastal plain, the Piedmont region, and the Appalachian Mountains. The tree's range extends south to Florida's peninsula and west to eastern Texas and southern Missouri. TRIVIA Because holly was the sacred plant of the god Saturn, holly branches were given as a gesture of friendship in ancient Rome during Saturnalia, the winter solstice festival. Druids and early Romans would decorate their homes with holly in winter, believing that the sun always shone on this sacred tree. Likewise, pagans would bring holly and other evergreens inside to ensure that nature would return in the spring. Indiscriminate harvesting of holly with berries for Christmas decorating has caused great damage to holly. There was once a market for holly collected from trees that did not belong to the harvesters. Trees were left mutilated and many died. Laws have since been passed in Delaware and Maryland to protect holly. Even though holly berries are known to be toxic to humans, extracts of this plant have long been used as homemade remedies for fever, gout, pleurisy, smallpox, lightheadedness, kidney stones, high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis, rheumatism, arthritis, jaundice, and even cancer. Disclaimer: The authors and publishers do not engage in the practice of medicine. Under no circumstances is this information intended to be taken as a medical recommendation.
	Click to enlarge an image American Holly American Holly Leaves American Holly Berries American Holly Bark American Holly Distribution Map (pdf) CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Plantae Subkingdom: Tracheobionta Superdivision: Spermatophyta Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Subclass: Rosidae Order: Celastrales Family: Aquifoliaceae Genus: Ilex L. Species: Ilex opaca
	Sources: U.S. Forest Service U.S. National Arboretum U.S. Department of Agriculture Author: World Trade Press