Ilex aquifolium

English holly

Family: Aquifoliaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

English holly is a naturalized shrub found in northern coastal California, Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, and other regions in cool, wooded areas at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces dull white flowers tiny and delicate. Growing as an erect shrub or small tree to 20 meters tall with many branches and minutely hairy branchlets, it develops a distinctive branching structure. Its leaves are stiff and leathery, 2.5 to 6 centimeters long, ovate or oblong-ovate with occasional spine-like teeth and an unusually variable shape that can change even within a single plant. The fruit is a smooth, round berry approximately 7 to 8 millimeters wide, adding visual interest to the plant's winter landscape.

Habitat: Cool, wooded areas

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: < 200 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR?, NCoRO, CCo, SnFrB, expected elsewhere

California counties: Alameda, San Mateo, Monterey, Marin, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Sonoma, Mendocino, El Dorado, Sacramento, San Francisco

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.