common winterberry

(Ilex verticillata)

Conservation Status
common winterberry
Photo by Kirk Nelson
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Midwest

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACW - Facultative wetland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Common winterberry is a 5 to 16½ tall, slow growing, deciduous shrub that rises on multiple stems from a woody root system. It is native to North America east of the Great Plains. It is also cultivated as an ornamental. It is fairly common in the woodlands of eastern Minnesota. In wet areas it often forms dense colonies by sending up new stems (suckers) from root nodes.

Stems are erect and up to 2 in diameter at the base. The bark is thin, smooth, grayish-brown, and often mottled.

First-year branches are slender, green, round, and usually hairless. Second-year branches are slender, smooth, and gray or grayish-brown. Mature branches and stems are grayish-brown and have numerous, scattered, pale, raised, horizontal, wart-like pores (lenticels). The pith is solid, not spongy, but it may be small and not easily seen. The buds are small and nearly globe-shaped. They have two or more bud scales. The bud scales are not tipped with a spine-like extension of the midrib (mucro). The leaf scars are small and are not raised or are only slightly raised. They have a single bundle scar.

The leaves are alternate, relatively thin, 2 to 4 long, ¾ to 1¾ wide, and narrowly or broadly elliptic or egg-shaped. They are on ¼ to ½ long leaf stalks (petioles). The petioles are covered with short hairs. At the base of each petiole there is a pair of tiny, black, thorn-like appendages (stipules). The stipules may fall off early but are often persistent. The leaf blades are tapered at the base and short-tapered to a sharp point at the tip but do not have a spine-like extension of the midrib (mucro). The upper surface is green, dull, and hairless. The lower surface is paler and sparsely to moderately hairy at least along the veins. The veins are conspicuously depressed on the upper surface, conspicuously raised on the lower surface. The margins are finely toothed with sharp, spreading to forward pointing teeth.

The inflorescence is small clusters of flowers rising from the leaf axils of first-year branches. Male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers are produced on separate plants. Occasionally, bisexual (perfect) flowers, with both male and female parts, are produced on an otherwise male or female plant.

Staminate flowers are in clusters of 3 to 10 flowers on short, 1 32 to 1 16 long stalks (pedicels). There are 4 to 6 sepals and an equal number of petals and stamens. The sepals are tiny, about 1 32 (0.7 to 1.4 mm) long, and have a fringe of hairs on the margin (ciliate). The petals are white to greenish-white, spreading with the tips sometimes bent backward, and 1 16 to (1.5 to 2.5 mm) long. The stamens have white filaments and yellow anthers. Pistillate flowers are solitary or in clusters of 2 or 3 flowers. They are similar to male flowers but have 5 to 8 sepals and petals, and an equal number of sterile, modified stamens (staminodes). There is no style.

The fruit is a bright red, globe-shaped, 3 16 to 5 16 (5 to 8 mm) in diameter, fleshy, berry-like drupe. The fruits mature in early September to early October and remain on the branch through winter and into the following spring. They are poisonous to humans but not to birds.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

5 to 16½

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

White to greenish-white

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

 

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Wet to moist. Forested wetlands, margins of ponds and marshes, lakeshores. Partial sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

Mid-June to early July

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  4/3/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Fairly common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Asteranae  
 

Order

Aquifoliales (hollies and allies)  
 

Family

Aquifoliaceae (holly)  
 

Genus

Ilex (hollies)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Ilex bronxensis

Ilex fastigiata

Ilex verticillata var. cyclophylla

Ilex verticillata var. fastigiata

Ilex verticillata var. padifolia

Ilex verticillata var. tenuifolia

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

black alder

black-alder

common winterberry

Virginia winterberry

winterberry

winterberry holly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Bundle scar

Tiny raised area within a leaf scar, formed from the broken end of a vascular bundle.

 

Calyx

The group of outer floral leaves (sepals) below the petals, occasionally forming a tube.

 

Drupe

A fleshy fruit with usually a single hard, stone-like core, like a cherry or peach; a stone fruit.

 

Filament

On plants: The thread-like stalk of a stamen which supports the anther. On Lepidoptera: One of a pair of long, thin, fleshy extensions extending from the thorax, and sometimes also from the abdomen, of a caterpillar.

 

Lenticel

A corky, round or stripe-like, usually raised, pore-like opening in bark that allows for gas exchange.

 

Pedicel

On plants: the stalk of a single flower in a cluster of flowers. On insects: the second segment of the antennae. On Hymenoptera and Araneae: the narrow stalk connecting the thorax to the abdomen: the preferred term is petiole.

 

Perfect

Referring to a flower that has both male and female reproductive organs.

 

Petiole

On plants: The stalk of a leaf blade or a compound leaf that attaches it to the stem. On ants and wasps: The constricted first one or two segments of the rear part of the body.

 

Pistillate

Referring to a flower that has a female reproductive organ (pistil) but does not have male reproductive organs (stamens).

 

Staminate

Referring to a flower that has a male reproductive organs (stamens) but does not have a female reproductive organ (pistil).

 

Staminode

A modified stamen that produces no pollen. It often has no anther. Plural: staminodia.

 

Stipule

A small, leaf-like, scale-like, glandular, or rarely spiny appendage found at the base of a leaf stalk, usually occurring in pairs and usually dropping soon.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
 
 

Luciearl

 
 

These are easily spotted at the end of Sept as other leaves start to drop off.

 
    common winterberry      
 

Kirk Nelson

 
    common winterberry   common winterberry  
           
    common winterberry      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Inflorescence

 
    common winterberry      
           
 

Leaf

 
    common winterberry      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  American Winterberry
Andree Reno Sanborn
 
  American Winterberry  
 
About

Ilex verticillata

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

 

 
     
     
       
       
 
Other Videos
 
  Ilex verticillata (Winterberry)
Northeastern native plant digest
 
   
 
About

Dec 12, 2018

Winterberry - A wonderful native shrub that's easy to grow and the birds will love.

   
  Ilex Verticillata
Maria Galeano
 
   
 
About

Nov 28, 2018

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Luciearl
9/30/2019

Location: Cass County

common winterberry  
  Kirk Nelson
8/31/2019

Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park

common winterberry  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

Binoculars


Created: 9/25/2019

Last Updated:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | © MinnesotaSeasons.com.com. All rights reserved.