winterberry holly Aquifoliaceae Ilex verticillata

Leaf:Alternate, simple, deciduous, margin sharply toothed, lance to egg-shaped (variable), glabrous and green above, paler and generally hairy below, 2 to 3 inches long.
Flower:Species is dioecious; both male and females are stalked and greenish-white with 5-7 petals, usually in clusters, appear in spring.
Fruit:Round drupes, 1/4 inch in diameter, reddish-orange to red in clusters of 2 to 4, ripening in fall but persisting through the winter, seeds smooth and smaller (1/8 inch long) than Ilex decidua or I. montana.
Twig:Slender, gray, with scattered light lenticels, buds and leaf scars are small, one vascular bundle scar, tiny, black thorn-like stipules may be present on either side of the leaf scar.
Bark:Thin, smooth and grayish brown.
Form:Upright shrub with multiple stems, reaches heights of 10 to 15 feet.

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