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Scrub Holly

The Ilex Opaca is commonly known as American Holly, Dune Holly, Hummock Holly, as well as Scrub Holly

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Growing Regions

From the maritime forests of Massachusetts, American holly is scattered along the coast to Delaware. It grows inland to several Pennsylvania counties and to extreme southeastern Ohio. It occurs abundantly southward throughout the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Appalachians. Its range extends south to mid-peninsular Florida and west to eastern Texas and southern Missouri [23,46]. It is cultivated in Hawaii [49]

     

General Information

The currently accepted scientific name of American holly is Ilex opaca Ait. The Ilex genus consists of 13 species belonging to the holly family (Aquifoliacea). There are no forms or subspecies of American holly. Recognized varieties include [21,34]: I. opaca var. opaca American holly I. opaca var. arenicola (Ashe) Ashe scrub or hummock holly I. opaca hybridizes with I. cassine to produce I. x attenata Ashe [47].

Much of the information presented here is attributed to:
Coladoanto, Milo. 1991. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available at USDA Forest Service.

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