Ilex CORNUTA

Ilex CORNUTA - Chinese Holly, Horned Holly, Ilex cornuta.

Christmas plant. Can be grown in bonsai style!

The genus of trees and shrubs Holly (Ilex) in the aquifoliaceous family (Aquifoliaceae) has glossy dark green (or bicolored) leathery leaves and bright berries of red, orange, yellow, white, or black color that ripen in autumn and persist on the trees all winter. Species of American Holly are larger than the European one; their leaves are larger and brighter, but share a similar typical spiny-toothed outline.

Chinese holly is an evergreen shrub or tree up to 15 m (49 ft) tall with short, spreading branches forming, usually, a dense pyramidal or oblong crown. Stems are branched, 3-6 m (10-20 ft) tall, smooth, and sturdy. Leaves are thick, leathery, short-petioled, dark green, lustrous, glossy, ranging from cordate or oblong entire to triangular- and wavy-dentate, with 2-3 large, sharp, recurved-triangular spines on each side.

The flowers are on short pedicels, dioecious, small, axillary, four-merous, white and yellow-green, gathered in fascicles. The fruits are globose berry-like drupes, bright red, persisting in clusters on short stalks on the branches throughout the winter. It blooms in July; fruits ripen in September-October.

Holly seeds require a prolonged period of stratification: first they are kept for 4 months in a warm environment, then 2-4 months in a cold one at a temperature of 4-5 °C (39-41 °F). At home, after the warm period, seeds are placed in the refrigerator in late autumn or winter and planted in spring.

Before sowing, seeds are soaked for 24 hours, then sown on the surface and sprinkled with a thin layer of soil. They are moistened with a spray bottle, covered with film, and germinated in the light at a temperature of 21-22 °C (70-72 °F). Seedlings require ventilation. Overwatering and complete drying out of sowings must be avoided.

Seed germination may also require a prolonged period, sometimes even 2-3 years. In our store, seeds have undergone a warm aging period and are already stored in a cold environment; upon purchase, specify the duration of the completed cold stratification.

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At home, Holly does not require special attention. It grows well in a mixture of fertile sod soil, peat, and sand taken in equal parts. Every spring it is fertilized with a liquid complete fertilizer diluted 30 ml (1 fl oz) per 10 L (2.6 gal) of water. It is repotted once every two years into a larger container.

Although the plant is drought-resistant, it requires abundant watering in the heat. In moist soils it needs bright lighting, but requires shading, as it can perish from sunburn.