Chinese Holly (Ilex cornuta) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Chinese holly is an evergreen shrub with glossy, almost rectangular leaves tipped with stout spines, and red berries that last into winter. Native to China and Korea, it is a popular landscape holly in the southern US—often as the cultivar 'Burfordii'—and it has escaped into the wild in a few Southeastern states. It is also called horned holly.

Appearance

Growth form: A dense, slow-growing shrub usually 8–15 ft (2.5–4.5 m) tall and as wide; it can be trained as a small tree up to 25 ft (7.5 m). Cultivars are often 3–10 ft (1–3 m).
Leaves: Alternate, leathery, glossy dark green leaves 1–4 in (3–10 cm) long, with strong spines at the corners and a curved spine at the tip. Older plants may have fewer spines on upper branches.
Flowers: Small, fragrant, dull-white to pale yellow-green flowers in spring. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants.
Fruit: Female plants bear round red berries about 1/3 in (8–10 mm) across that ripen in fall and stay on into winter.

Look-alikes

English hollyIlex aquifolium

Chinese holly leaves are boxy, with big spines at the four corners and a curved tip spine; English holly leaves are wavy-edged with many spines along the sides.

Why they get mixed upBoth are spiny evergreen hollies with red winter berries; English holly is the European Christmas holly and a parent of 'Nellie R. Stevens'.

American hollyIlex opaca

American holly leaves are oval with spiny teeth spaced along the edges and a much paler underside; Chinese holly leaves are boxy with spines mainly at the corners and tip, and they feel thicker and sharper.

Why they get mixed upAmerican holly is the common native holly in the East, and both have spiny evergreen leaves and red berries.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Yards and hedges
Parks
Woodland edges (escaped)
Range: Native to central and southeastern China and Korea. In the US it is planted widely in the South and has naturalized in North Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Preferred conditions: Hardy in USDA zones 7a–9b. Grows in full sun or partial shade, handles heat, humidity, and drought, and tolerates most soils that drain well.

Cautions

Cautions: The berries contain saponins and can cause vomiting or diarrhea if eaten in quantity.

Name and classification

Varieties and forms: 'Burfordii' (Burford holly) is the most widely planted cultivar; its leaves mostly have just a single tip spine. 'Nellie R. Stevens' is a hybrid with English holly that fruits heavily.