Japanese winterberry is a holly from Japan and China whose tiny red berries cling to bare branches long after the leaves fall. It has been grown in the US since about the 1860s and is used to breed garden hybrids with the native winterberry, such as 'Sparkleberry'. It looks much like native winterberry but has smaller, less bright fruit.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A spreading deciduous shrub, reaching up to about 12–15 ft (3.5–4.5 m). Young shoots are zigzag and finely downy.
- Leaves
- Oval leaves 1–3 in (2.5–7.5 cm) long with fine teeth, dull green above and softly hairy beneath.
- Flowers
- Small, inconspicuous flowers in clusters where the leaves join the stem. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants.
- Fruit
- Round red berries about 1/6 in (4 mm) across that keep their color on the branches for a long time.
Look-alikes
WinterberryIlex verticillata
Very similar overall, but native winterberry has larger, brighter red fruit, while Japanese winterberry has smaller berries and more finely toothed leaves.
Why they get mixed upBoth are deciduous hollies with red berries on bare winter branches, and their hybrids are common in gardens.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Gardens
- Parks
- Range
- Native to Japan and China. In the US it is grown as an ornamental shrub.
Growing it
- Care
- A hardy, dependable fruiting shrub. Only female plants bear berries, and they need a male plant nearby.
Name and classification
- Varieties and forms
- Forms with white fruit and with yellow fruit are known. Hybrids with native winterberry (Ilex verticillata × serrata), such as the heavy-fruiting female 'Sparkleberry', are common garden plants.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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