gallberry

Ilex glabra

Gallberry is a lovely shrub that grows in wetlands and is known for its shiny green leaves. It produces small black berries that birds love to eat!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The gallberry is an evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green leaves that are typically oval-shaped with a few teeth near the tip. Its small, inconspicuous white flowers develop into abundant, pea-sized black berries that persist through winter, making it visually distinct.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderAquifolialesFamilyAquifoliaceaeGenusIlex

gallberry

Interesting facts

Gallberry is a type of holly, but without any prickly spines!

Its beautiful berries transform from green to shiny, dark black.

Many small native bees and butterflies love its tiny white flowers.

Native Americans once brewed a tea from gallberry leaves!

Special abilities

Gallberry has tough, waxy leaves that stay green all year, helping it keep making food even in cold winter months.

Gallberry can grow in soggy, acidic soils where many other plants struggle, thanks to its specialized root system.

Gallberry's berries stay on the plant through winter, providing a vital food source for birds when other foods are scarce.

Measurements & details

Height: 100-300 cm
Spread: 100-200 cm
Flower Size: 0.5-1 cm
Bloom Season: Spring-Summer
Edible: No
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

eats

American Robin

Turdus migratorius

Feasts on its persistent black berries in winter.

pollinates

Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

Visits small white flowers for nectar and pollen.

eats

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Browses on its leaves and twigs, especially young growth.

eats

Eastern Bluebird

Sialia sialis

Relies on its berries as a crucial winter food source.

Traits

Ornamental

Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.

Shrub

A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground.

Evergreen

Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.

Fruit Bearing

Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.

Edible

Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.