Ilex crenata 'Helleri' (Box-Leaved Holly)

Overview

A very popular dwarf form, this plant forms a low flat mound of layered branches. It reaches 4' tall and usually does not flower or fruit.

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Box-Leaved Holly, Boxleaf Holly, Japanese Holly

Description

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Genus Ilex

Usually dioecious shrubs or trees . Leaves coriaceous , often spinose and shiny above; stipules caducous . Flowers 4-5-merous, bisexual or unisexual with vestigial remains of either sex. Corolla rotate. Style absent or obsolete , stigma lobed . Drupe fleshy , pyrenes 2-5, rarely more.

400 species, tropical and subtropical areas of both hemispheres. Represented in Pakistan by 2 species (excluding 1 cultivated species) .[1]

Physical Description

ID Features: Alternate leaf arrangement and small marginal serrations separate it from. Buxus sp. which has opposite leaves and no serrations. Dense, rigid, multibranched habit. Lustrous evergreen leaves. Black fruit.

Habit: Evergreen shrub forms a low flat mound of layered branches.

Flowers: Usually does not flower. • Bloom Period: April, May. • Flower Color: pale green

Seeds: Fruit: Usually does not fruit.

Foliage: Tiny, narrow, dark green, shallowly toothed , oval to ovate glossy evergreen . • Summer foliage: Dark green, lustrous leaves. Evergreen , usually broadest in the middle . Alternate leaf arrangement . Leaf margin serrate from base to tip . Leaves mostly 1" to 2" long. • Fall foliage: Evergreen , so no fall color. Leaves also shiny in winter season .

Size/Age/Growth

Growth Rate: Slow to moderate. • Size: 4' tall.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: As a foundation plant. Hedges . Borders . In mass planting . Useful for high quality evergreen foliage . For formal gardens with sheared plantings. • Liabilities: Lack of all around cold hardiness in any location in zone 5. Foliar burn , twig kill in severe winters. Spider mite can be problematic in planting incorrectly sited in hot, dry. locations. Thielaviopsis blight can cause twig death on stressed plants . Somewhat overused in some neighborhoods or regions. Iron chlorosis on high pH soils. • Care: Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system . Feeding should be done in early spring or late autumn with a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving broad-leaved evergreens, such as cottonseed meal , rhododendron fertilizer, Miracid®, etc. If pruning becomes necessary, do it in early spring before new growth begins, trimming towards a symmetrical shape .

Biology

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Growth

Culture: Needs protection from drying winter winds. Full sun to partial shade. Easily transplanted from container or B&B. Withstand significant pruning or shearing. Moist, slightly acid soils , well-drained soils are ideal. Tolerant of conditions in urban gardens. Plant 6 feet apart in mass plantings . Plant 3 feet apart in hedges .

Soil: Requires well-drained, slightly acid, fertile soil.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Moisture: Water Requirements: Keep the soil moist during the summer growing season , but allow it to dry somewhat in early fall to allow the new growth to mature enough to resist winter damage.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Plantae () - Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae () - Cavalier-Smith, 1981
    - Phylum: Tracheophyta () - Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
      - Subphylum: Euphyllophytina ()
        Infraphylum: Radiatopses () - Kenrick & Crane, 1997
        Class: Spermatopsida () - Brongniart, 1843
        Subclass: Asteridae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Superorder: Celastranae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Order: Aquifoliales () - Senft, 1856
        Family: Aquifoliaceae () - Bercht. & J. Presl, 1825, nom. cons.
        Genus: Ilex () - C. Linnaeus, 1753 - Holly
        Specific epithet: crenata
        Cultivar: Helleri
        Botanical name: - Ilex crenata 'Helleri'

Notes

A tentatively accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Ilex

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 299 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

More Info

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Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Notes

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Contributors

Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed May 2, 2012.

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8745137
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 711707

Footnotes

"Ilex". in Flora of Pakistan Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

Ilex crenata 'Helleri'

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Genus Ilex

Physical Description

Size/Age/Growth

Landscaping

Biology

Growth

Taxonomy

Notes

Similar Species

Members of the genus Ilex

More Info

Further Reading

Notes

Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes