# Chinese Holly (*ilex cornuta*) Chinese Holly is a beautiful plant with shiny green leaves and bright red berries! It's a great addition to gardens and can attract birds looking for food. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 8 - **Habitat:** Chinese Holly is commonly found in gardens and parks, often in temperate climates. - **Also known as:** Chinese Holly Tree ![Chinese Holly](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ilexcornuta.JPG&width=800) Photo: Casliber, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ilexcornuta.JPG) ## Appearance The Chinese Holly has striking dark green leaves that are often rectangular and extremely glossy, featuring sharp, spiky edges. Its most distinctive feature is the abundance of bright, cherry-red berries that ripen in fall and remain vibrant throughout winter. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Aquifoliales - **Family:** Aquifoliaceae - **Genus:** Ilex ## Interesting facts - It can live for many decades, growing into a grand old bush or tree! - Its glossy leaves are so shiny they almost look fake! - Some Chinese Holly plants only produce male or female flowers, needing a partner to make berries! - The scientific name 'cornuta' means 'horned,' like its pointy leaves! ## Special abilities - **Spiky Armor:** Chinese Holly has extra-sharp leaf spines that deter hungry animals from munching on its foliage, keeping it safe. - **Winter Feast Provider:** Its bright red berries persist through winter, offering a vital food source for birds when other foods are scarce. - **Evergreen Powerhouse:** Chinese Holly stays green all year, allowing it to photosynthesize even in colder months when other plants lose leaves. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 300-800 cm - **Spread:** 200-400 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** mild - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen - **Eaten by:** Chinese Blackbird (*Turdus mandarinus*) — eats its winter berries - **Shelter:** [Great Tit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-tit) (*Parus major*) — nests in its dense branches ## Traits - [Arboreal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/arboreal): Arboreal animals live primarily in trees, utilizing them for shelter, food, and protection from predators. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Chinese Holly? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Chinese Holly? 300-800 cm ### How wide does Chinese Holly spread? 200-400 cm ### How big are the flowers on Chinese Holly? 0.5-1 cm ### When does Chinese Holly bloom? Spring ### Is Chinese Holly edible? No ### Is Chinese Holly toxic? mild ### What is Chinese Holly's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Chambers County Courthouse Square Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chambers-county-courthouse-square-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District - [Vanderbilt University](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/vanderbilt-university) — Tennessee, US · Campus - [City of Fairfax Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/city-of-fairfax-historic-district) — Virginia, US · Historic District - [Fayette County Courthouse Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fayette-county-courthouse-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District - [Reynolds Nature Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/reynolds-nature-preserve) — Georgia, US · Nature Reserve - [Sheffield Downtown Commercial Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sheffield-downtown-commercial-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District [View all places to see Chinese Holly](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/chinese-holly) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Chinese Holly: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/chinese-holly)