Ilex crenata


Ilex crenata is a species of holly native to eastern China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Sakhalin.
It is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing to a height of 3–5 m tall, with a trunk diameter up to 20 cm. The leaves are glossy dark green, small, 10–30 mm long and 10–17 mm broad, with a crenate margin, sometimes spiny. The plants are dioecious, with white, four-lobed flowers. The fruit is a black drupe 5 mm diameter, containing four seeds. It grows well in acidic soil, between a pH of 3.7 and 6.0.

Cultivation

Ilex crenata is grown as an ornamental plant for its dense evergreen foliage, and is a popular plant among Bonsai enthusiasts. It is superficially similar in appearance to boxwood, and is often used in similar situations, such as low hedging; but it can readily be distinguished from boxwood by its alternate, not opposite, leaf arrangement.
Numerous cultivars have been selected, including plants with the leaves variegated, dark green, or greyish-green ; with yellow fruit ; and with an erect habit, spreading, or dwarf. The cultivars 'Golden Gem' and ‘Fastigiata’ have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.