Vaccinium mucronatum L.
Ilex mucronata (L.) Powell Savolainen & Andrews
Mountain holly, swamp holly, catberry
Mountain holly is native to eastern North America.
Plants: A deciduous shrub that reach 9½′ (3 m) (rarely 13′ (4 m)) tall. Older bark is thin, gray, either smooth or rough, dotted with lumpy lenticels.
Leaves: Alternate, elliptic to oblong, sometimes wider toward the tip, hairless, 1–2½″ (2.5–6.3 cm) long × ¾ that in width. Leaf edges may be smooth or finely serrated, with a sharp tip. Their petioles (stems) are ⅛–¾″ (5–20 mm) long.
Flowers: Inconspicuous, whitish to greenish yellow, ⅛″ (5 mm) in size, on thin peduncles (stalks) ⅞″ (2.5 cm) or more in length. Each flower has 4-5 petals narrow, often bent, petals. Male flowers have yellow-tipped stamens between the petals. Female flowers have shorter sterile stamens and a large green urn-like ovary in the center, with a yellowish stigma atop.
Fruits: Round red drupes ⅛–¼″ (6–7 mm) in diameter, with 3-5 pits. The surface is dull, not shiny.
Habitats: Moist, but drained locales, often found on mountain slopes.
Online References:
Nemopanthus mucronatus (L.) Loes.
Vaccinium mucronatum L.
Vaccinium mucronatum L.
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) 
7/20/2024 · Florida Lake, Freeport, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
7/20/2024 · Florida Lake, Freeport, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 10 × 8″ (24 × 19 cm) 
9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm) 
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm) 
7/31/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
9/19/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) 
8/22/2020 · Crossbill Trail, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (12 × 7.7 cm) 
7/20/2024 · Florida Lake, Freeport, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 11 cm) 
8/22/2020 · Crossbill Trail, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
7/20/2024 · Florida Lake, Freeport, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 11 cm) 
8/22/2020 · Crossbill Trail, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
7/12/2015 · Mt. Kearsarge, Wilmot/Warner, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 10 cm) 
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 10 cm) 
7/20/2024 · Florida Lake, Freeport, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
7/12/2015 · Mt. Kearsarge, Wilmot/Warner, New Hampshire · ≈ 2 × 1′ (59 × 39 cm) 
8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett · ≈ 2 × 1½′ (67 × 53 cm) 
7/20/2024 · Florida Lake, Freeport, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
8/8/2015 · Mt. Wachusett · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (15 × 12 cm) 
7/20/2024 · Florida Lake, Freeport, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
7/12/2015 · Mt. Kearsarge, Wilmot/Warner, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Aquifoliales | Hollies and some fairly obscure genera |
| Family | Aquifoliaceae | Holly family |
| Genus | Ilex | Latin for “holly oak” (rather than holly!) |
| Species | mucronata | Mucronate, with a short, abrupt tip |
Ilex mucronata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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