Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray
Winterberry, common winterberry
We live next to a beaver pond. Winterberry, a variety of holly, is widespread around the pond’s perimeter. While most holly varieties are evergreens, winterberries lose their leaves in the winter, leaving stunningly bright berries behind, berries that attract birds and persist for much of the winter. This woody shrub is present in much of the eastern half of the United States, even as far south as Florida, and in southeastern Canada. Here in Massachusetts I have seen it reach heights of 7′ (2.1 m) or so, but some varieties are up to 15′ (4.6 m) in height. Winterberries prefer wetlands.
Plants: Hardy, multiple-stemmed shrub 6–10′ (1.8–3 m) tall and generally oval in shape, with gray branches with large white patches.
Leaves: 1½–3 ⨉ ¾–1¼″ (3.8–7.6 ⨉ 1.9–3.2 cm), elliptical in shape, with slight serrations.
Flowers: Small ⅛″ (5 mm) white flowers have five to eight petals.
Fruits: Round bright red fruits, ¼″ (6.3 mm) in diameter, persist through much of the winter. The fruits form in clusters or whorls around the stems.
Habitats: Average, acidic, boggy or swampy wet soils.
Edibility: Not edible raw, even poisonous in many accounts, due to bitter taste and high tannin content. Some sources say winterberries can be cooked and sweetened, flavoring jams and pies, used sparingly. Many species of birds enjoy these berries, however. In midwinter, the berries begin to ferment, and drunken, even passed out birds can result.
The cultivar ‘Red Sprite’ has larger, somewhat more plentiful berries, and is here growing in well-drained soil rather than its preferred acidic wet soils. There are many other cultivars available.
Online References:
9/15/2016 · Cadillac Mountain Summit, Acadia, Bar Harbor, Maine 
11/6/2024 · Hermit Island, Phippsburg, Maine 
8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
6/24/2021 · Hackett and Minot Trails, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (11 × 7.5 cm) 
7/2/2025 · Spirit Pond Preserve, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 15 cm) 
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 2½″ (9.8 × 6.6 cm) 
9/28/2013 · Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) 
6/24/2021 · Hackett and Minot Trails, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (10 × 7 cm) 
8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
6/19/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 2″ (9 × 6 cm) 
9/17/2023 · Sprague Pond Preserve, Basin Preserve, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
8/20/2025 · Peaks Island, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (26 × 17 cm) 
9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts 
10/6/2011 · Pack Monadnock, 2200', Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) 
8/24/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
8/30/2010 · Old RR bed near Wilkins Farm, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 7″ (22 × 18 cm) 
9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) 
8/24/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) 
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) 
12/22/2011 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
6/24/2024 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
6/20/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Broo, Hollis, New Hampshire 
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 15 cm) 
9/25/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) 
10/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm) 
8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) 
9/11/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 5″ (15 × 12 cm) 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm) 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 5″ (14 × 13 cm) 
9/15/2010 · Red Dot Trail, Long Lake Park, Littleton, Massachusetts · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) 
9/29/2013 · North Bubble Hike, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine 
6/20/2016 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Broo, Hollis, New Hampshire 
| 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 | verticillata | From Latin verticillus, “whorled” |
Ilex verticillata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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