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American Holly, A Symbol of Good Cheer

© Renie Burghardt

As I snap pictures of my friend Olive's beautiful holly bushes, I suddenly find myself getting in the spirit of the season. The bright red berries gleam in the sun and remind me of some verses from the old English Christmas song "The Holly and the Ivy."

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
O rising of the sun
And running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir.

The holly has been associated with Christmas for centuries, especially in England and Europe, where it was used as a traditional Yule decoration for years. When the Pilgrims arrived in America, one week before Christmas in 1620, they were delighted to find the prickly leafed evergreen with the red berries growing here, for it reminded them of the English holly, Ilex aquifolium.

But this prickly leafed evergreen was the American holly, Ilex opaca, a native plant of the new land they had come to, and also prized by Native Americans as a symbol of courage and eternal life. Since that time, American holly, also called white holly, and Christmas holly, has been prized for its foliage, berries, and ornamental beauty throughout the Eastern United States.

Although Olive's hollies are shrubs, American holly can grow into a 40 to 50 foot tree. Its range is from Massachusetts, southward to central Florida, and west to Indiana and Texas, and southeastern Missouri. American holly can survive on a variety of soils, as long as there is plenty of humidity, but it grows best in moist, slightly acrid, well-drained soil. The largest trees can be found in the coastal plains, where rich bottomlands and swamps greatly benefit the tree.

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

Of course, both the American and English hollies are members of the aquifoliceae, or holly family, and the word aquifoliceae means "trees with needles on their leaves." Those "needles," help to defend the tree from browsing animals!

American holly is a broadleaf evergreen, with beautiful, waxy green leaves and bright red berries, which mature in autumn. It can be grown as an ornamental from zones 5 through 9. Both male and female plants are required for berry production, and the female, of course, bears the berries!