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American holly grows somewhat slowly, eventually reaching a height of 15 to 30 feet in an erect but compact pyramidal or columnar form. It's also not uncommon to see a tree grow nearly 50 feet tall. Branching from the trunk begins at ground level, but many homeowners prefer to prune the lower limbs to give the plant a more tree-like appearance. Planted in the right conditions with proper care, hollies can live for 100 years or more. They typically spread from 8 to 15 feet in diameter, although spreads of 18 to 40 feet are not unheard of. Mature American hollies have a trunk 12 to 18 inches in diameter.
Stiff and prickly evergreen American holly leaves are a glossy medium green to olive green on the surface and lighter green on the underside. Their broadly indented margins show the distinctive prickly spines that are typical of most evergreen hollies-and dangerous to bare feet! Measuring 2 to 4 inches long and 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide, depending on the variety, the leaves are arranged alternately along the holly stems. They remain attached for three years and are then shed in the spring. Some varieties of American hollies have variegated leaves of cream and green.
Holly bark is light gray and smooth; twigs are gray-white. The wood is light and dense but not strong. It sands and turns easily and polishes to a fine luster.
American holly is diecious, meaning that both male and female plants are needed for fruit production. One male plant can provide pollen to three to eight female plants. It's possible to graft a male branch onto a female plant, thereby giving the plant its own built-in pollen source. I wonder why that isn't routinely done for home landscape plants; perhaps the shape of the tree is affected? If you know the answer, please e-mail jeffball@yardener.com.
Flowering begins about the fourth or fifth year. American holly flowers are creamy-white and small, with four tiny petals. Male flowers grow in small clusters where the leaves join the stems. Female flowers are solitary or in smaller clusters than the male flowers. Males have four stamens sticking up between the petals; females have bulb-like structures in the center, with little stalks rising from them. The flowers of both sexes appear in late spring or early summer, and pollination occurs thanks to bees, wasps, ants, yellow jackets, and night-flying moths.
Stunning 1/4-inch red berries appear on female trees in mid-autumn on the current year's growth. A few varieties sport yellow berries. The berries hang on into early spring unless devoured by songbirds, bobwhite, deer, squirrels, or wild turkey. American holly trees are a major food source for winter-migrating flocks of small birds such as the cedar waxwing and American goldfinch, and stands of hollies are an important fast food stop in their migrations.
