Ilex vomitoria
Family: Aquifoliaceace
Plant Description: Evergreen shrub or small tree to 3 m high or more with elliptic leaves 1-3.5 cm long, shiny above, simple, alternate with toothed margins. Has short, stout, rigid twigs. Flowers (unisexual rarely perfect) with petals 2-3 mm long, axillary. Calyx lobes, petals, and stamens 4. Fruits about 5 mm wide, red drupe.
Field Identification: Understory shrub with red berries most of the year. Will grow dense clusters from suckers if not tended regularly.
Occurrence: Common in sandy oak woods along the coast from AMWR to Flour Bluff.
Plant Trivia: Propagates by suckers and seeds.
Bloom Period: Marich-April
Plant Use: Fruit eaten by several passerine birds including robins and cedar waxwings; consumed by raccoons and opossums.
