1/19/25: Hollies of Maine

Transcript

Save for the fragrant boughed Balsam Fir – known to many New Englanders as the “Christmas Tree”, there are few plants more strongly associated with the early days of winter than members of the Ilex family, more commonly known as hollies.

Among the hundreds of holly species distributed around the globe, the species most associated with “decking the halls” is the evergreen “Common Holly” (or Ilex aquifolium) native to portions of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Bearing bright red fruits, called drupes, and deep green glossy leaves into the winter months, the foliage of this shrub has a long tradition of use in midwinter celebrations both as decoration or gifted as tokens of friendship dating back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia (Box, 1995). Affinity for this species lead to its use as an ornamental plant throughout the world, however, its vigorous growth and tolerance for a variety of growing conditions lead to it becoming an invasive species in portions of North America.

Maine boasts three of our own native species of hollies, however, each interesting in their own right. Overlooked for much of the year, our native hollies rise to prominence as most other plant life fades into a rather barren-looking landscape dominated by browns and white:

– Perhaps the best known of our native hollies, winterberry (or Ilex verticillata) is widespread within Maine. It primarily grows within and along the margins of wet areas, where it often forms dense thickets alongside alders and leatherleaf. Unlike Ilex aquifolium, winterberry drops all of its leaves come October. Although devoid of foliage, this shrub remains visually striking within the landscape due to the plentiful red, berry-like fruits it produces and bears well into the winter months. These fruits are a valuable food source for robins, waxwings, and other songbirds during the scarcest season.

– The Mountain Holly or “Catberry” (Ilex mucronata), is another holly species which frequently occupies wet areas from the lowlands to, as their name implies, the alpine and subalpine zone. These deciduous shrubs also produce red drupes that are attractive to birds, however, fewer of them. Therefore, they seldom bear them long into winter. While winterberry can become established on drier sites, Mountain Holly rarely strays from bogs, swamps, lakeshores, or other wet areas. For this reason, the species is also sometimes referred to as “swamp holly”. 

– The least familiar of the native hollies, at least to most Mainers, is the Inkberry (Ilex glabra). Also known as “Appalachian tea” or “Evergreen winterberry”, this holly is an extremely rare species within the state. It is so rare, in fact, that it was designated as a state-listed endangered species and is known only to occur on a single coastal island (Mittelhauser et al. 2010). Inkberry is more typically associated with the dunelands, forests, and swamps of the Atlantic coast and Southeastern United States. Unlike our other hollies, this species is evergreen, bearing its glossy green leaves through the winter. It also differs from our other native species in that it produces, not red, but black fruits. Like Ilex aquifolium across the Atlantic, this species has a long history of use by humans. Indigenous peoples have made use of part of the inkberry plant in decorative and ceremonial practices, in the treatment of medical ailments, and in the brewing of teas (Hudson, 2004; 2023).

Native hollies have been an important part of my winter traditions since childhood. Each year, my grandfather would set out on a sunny day in late November or early December to collect “red berries” or winterberry cuttings along the roadside. These he delivered to my mother who then incorporated them into balsam wreaths and window box decorations ahead of the holidays. He did this every year until he passed away in November of 2023. On the anniversary of his passing, my mother and I set out in his old pickup and gathered winterberry cuttings and delivered bunches to friends, family, and neighbors, carrying on this century-spanning tradition celebrating the beauty that our hollies bring to the winter landscape.

Citations:

(2023). Appalachian Tea. Yale Nature Walk. Yale University. Retrieved November 18, 2024, from:
https://naturewalk.yale.edu/trees/aquifoliaceae/ilex-glabra/appalachian-tea-156.

Box, J. (1995). The Festive Ecology of Holly. British Wildlife.

Hudson, C. M. (Ed.). (2004). Black drink: A native American tea. University of Georgia Press.

Maine Natural Areas Program Rare Plant Fact Sheet for Ilex glabra. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18,
2024, from https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/features/ilegla.html

Mittelhauser, G.H., L.L. Gregory, S.C. Rooney, & J.E. Weber. (2010). Plants of Acadia National Park.
University of Maine at Orono Press.