# Japanese holly (*Ilex crenata*) Japanese holly is a small, evergreen shrub with shiny green leaves. It can grow in gardens and parks, making them look beautiful all year round! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 2 - **Habitat:** Urban areas ![Japanese holly](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ilex_Crenata5.jpg&width=800) Photo: KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ilex_Crenata5.jpg) ## Appearance The Japanese holly is a dense evergreen shrub with tiny, oval, spineless leaves that are glossy dark green. It produces small, inconspicuous greenish-white flowers, followed by an abundance of small, round, black berries, making it look quite different from traditional prickly hollies. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Aquifoliales - **Family:** Aquifoliaceae - **Genus:** Ilex ## Interesting facts - Even though it's called 'holly', its leaves are smooth, not prickly! - It's a master of disguise, often mistaken for a boxwood plant! - Its dark berries look like tiny black pearls hidden among the leaves! - Some types of Japanese holly only grow a few inches tall! ## Special abilities - **Winter Warrior:** Japanese holly can keep its green leaves all winter long, helping it collect sunlight and stay vibrant when other plants are bare. - **Shape Shifter:** Japanese holly has strong branches and tiny leaves that let it be pruned into fun shapes, helping it fit perfectly in any garden. - **Berry Banquet:** Japanese holly has many small black berries that provide an important food source for birds, helping them find snacks in cold months. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-300 cm - **Spread:** 100-250 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.3-0.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to early summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Mild - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen - **Eaten by:** Pale Thrush (*Turdus obscurus*) — Eats the plant's small berries - **Eaten by:** Japanese Waxwing (*Bombycilla japonica*) — Feeds on the plant's berries ## Traits - [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Shrub](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shrub): A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground. - [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once. - [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Always wash your hands after touching plants, and don't eat any berries without asking an adult. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Japanese 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 Japanese holly? 100-300 cm ### How wide does Japanese holly spread? 100-250 cm ### How big are the flowers on Japanese holly? 0.3-0.5 cm ### When does Japanese holly bloom? Late spring to early summer ### Is Japanese holly edible? No ### Is Japanese holly toxic? Mild ### What is Japanese holly's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Cedarmere-Clayton Estates](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cedarmere-clayton-estates) — New York, US · Historic District - [Techwood Homes](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/techwood-homes) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Atlanta Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/atlanta-botanical-garden) — Georgia, US · Botanical Garden - [Mellwood Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mellwood-park) — Maryland, US · Park - [West Springfield Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/west-springfield-park) — Virginia, US · Park - [Byeonsanbando National Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/byeonsanbando-national-park) — KR · Park [View all places to see Japanese holly](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/japanese-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: [Japanese holly: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/japanese-holly)