– Grows wild in my back yard in Indian Land, S.C.
– Slow growing evergreen
– Multiple needle tips on each leaf
– Naturally leggy. Responds pretty well to pruning to get a more compact shape.
– I hate plants that stick me. But I’ve let 3 specimens live, so far, because they’re in a natural area next to my garden.
– Is this a species that should be eliminated?
Hi Jack,
I would not eliminate this one. It is the native American holly, Ilex opaca. It is used for Christmas decorations when it has berries. However, these come in male and female so only half of them will have berries when they are mature.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steven Hill, Botanist, SCNPS