 |
| Our tree of the week is a volunteer American holly (Ilex opaca). When it was added to the catalogue in 2003, it was still a sapling. |
 |
The American holly is pictured center. It has dark green leaves, a slender trunk, and all of its lower branches removed. There is only a subtle difference between the dark green leaves of our tree of the week and the yellow-green leaves of a neighboring American holly, pictured behind and to the right. Both hollies germinated in their current locations and were necessarily pruned to allow for easy movement along the boardwalk. Why one holly should have dark green leaves and the other yellow-green leaves is a question. Of course, looking at the picture, and the tangle of bare branches, we can conclude that this spot is a little crowded, and all of the trees are competing for limited resources above and below ground.
|
 |
Our 20-year-old tree is of special interest this week because of its asymmetrical crown. For nine months out of the year, the overall structure is obscured by leaves of neighboring trees. Now that it's mid-February, most of the deciduous trees are bare, so we can get a good look at the form of our holly. And it's lopsided! There is a big chunk of foliage missing on the north side of the tree. Overall, the American holly is in very good condition, but its health would certainly benefit from an environment of reduced competition.
|
 |
American hollies have smooth, gray bark. Along the trunk you can see where limbs were pruned: the bark bunches into thin wrinkles that form an oval, encircling the absent branch. Did the loss of its lower branches help or hurt the holly in the competition for resources?
|
All photos were taken February 12, 2021, two days before the area was blanketed with ice and snow.
