Our tree of the week is a shrubby fellow. The deciduous holly (
Ilex decidua) tends to form multi-stemmed groupings rather than developing a single, upright trunk. In the wilds of northern Louisiana you might indeed come across a small, single-stemmed individual, but here in the arboretum, our deciduous hollies have taken on a shrubby habit. Let's look at a specific case.
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| Our shrubby tree of the week is pictured (center) growing both in front of and behind the large rock. This multi-stemmed deciduous holly is an on-site native. It was added to the arboretum catalogue in 1995. The gray, bare stems are, for the most part, upright. |
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| The deciduous holly grows at the bottom of a slope on the bank of the drainage channel. We have had standing water in this spot for several months now. |
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| This particular deciduous holly is a female, and its fruits are conspicuous this week. |
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| Deciduous holly fruits are persistent, round, red drupes. |
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| Our gray January sky provides the opportunity for a silhouette, outlining the leafless branch ornamented with spherical fruits. This winter-leaflessness is the source of its species name, decidua. You will recall that American holly (I. opaca) and yaupon holly (I. vomitoria) are both evergreen. |
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| ABOVE: The deciduous holly twig is leafless. BELOW: The yaupon holly twig has evergreen leaves. |
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| LEFT: Deciduous holly fruits are orange-red and measure approximately a quarter of an inch. RIGHT: Yaupon holly fruits are dark red and measure under a quarter of an inch. |
You can find more photos of the arboretum's deciduous hollies
here.
For more information about this species consult the following:
United States Department of Agriculture
Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours (LSU AgCenter)
Texas Agrilife Extension Service (Texas A&M University)
