Inkberry

Scientific Name: Ilex glabra (L.) Gray
Family: Aquifoliaceae

Recommended Temperature Zone:
Sunset®: 3-24,26,28,31-41
USDA: 4-9

Heat Tolerance: Questionable in the low deserts

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Origin: Atlantic coast of North America

Growth Habits: Evergreen shrub, 2 to 12 feet feet tall (0.6-3.6 m), numerous suckers; simple leaves shiny and dark green above, 1.2 to 1.8 inches long (3-4.6 cm) and 0.6 to 0.8 inch wide (1.5-2 cm)

Flowers: White or greenish flowers

Watering Needs: Regular water

Propagation: Root suckers

Propagation: Cutting or occasionally seed

• by semi-hardwood stem tip cuttings, in autumn. Apply IBA TALC 8000 PPM. Use intermittent mist. Root in 5-8 weeks. Wound cuttings.
• by seeds, in spring. The seeds can be harvested in autumn. The seeds need stratify 40F 4-5mo..

'Shamrock' is a smaller cultivar, up to 4 feet tall (1.2 m), 4 feet wide, with less suckers than the species.

Blooming Habits:
Dioecious, small, greenish white, inconspicuous flowers, in late spring. The fruits are produced only on the female plants if there is a male plant nearby. Small, nearly black, shiny berries, 0.3 inch in diameter (0.8 cm), containing 3 to 9 seeds, ripening in fall and persisting into the following spring.