Plant: Foster - Holly
Holly · Ilex x attenuata 'Fosteri'
Size: 3 gal
Light
Bloom
Mature size
More about this plant
Foster holly is a selection of Ilex x attenuata, a naturally occurring cross between dahoon and American holly first found growing wild in Florida in the 1920s. It is a densely pyramidal broadleaf evergreen with spiny simple elliptic to obovate leaves about three inches long and smooth gray bark. Insignificant greenish white flowers open on new growth in late spring, and female plants with a male pollinizer nearby carry pea sized red fruits that persist through winter and feed birds. It grows at a medium rate in full sun to partial shade on well drained acid to neutral soil and tolerates pollution, working well as a screen, hedge or specimen.
- Full Sun
- Grows to 25 ft tall and 15 ft wide
- Blooms in spring
- Hardy in USDA zones 6-9
- Evergreen foliage
- Native plant
Plant description
Foster holly is a selection of Ilex x attenuata, a naturally occurring cross between dahoon and American holly first found growing wild in Florida in the 1920s. It is a densely pyramidal broadleaf evergreen with spiny simple elliptic to obovate leaves about three inches long and smooth gray bark. Insignificant greenish white flowers open on new growth in late spring, and female plants with a male pollinizer nearby carry pea sized red fruits that persist through winter and feed birds. It grows at a medium rate in full sun to partial shade on well drained acid to neutral soil and tolerates pollution, working well as a screen, hedge or specimen.
- Flowers
- Greenish white but insignificant flowers are borne on new growth in late spring.
- Foliage
- Spiny, simple, elliptic to obovate evergreen leaves about three inches long.
- Fruit
- Pea sized red fruits persist through winter on female plants that have a male pollinizer nearby.
- Native range
- Florida; a naturally occurring hybrid of dahoon and American holly
