Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’

Winterberry ‘Red Sprite’, winterberry, American winterberry

Winterberry, a type of holly, is common in Eastern North America. This cultivated variety is not found in the wild. It is also known as Ilex verticillata 'Nana'.

Plants: This winterberry cultivar is a hardy, deciduous, multiple-stemmed shrub 2½–3′ (76–91 cm) tall and 2½–3′ (76–91 cm) around. It is smaller than the native variety, and considered a dwarf. It has 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 white ⅛″ (5 mm) 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, and they are very abundant on ‘Red Sprite.’

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.

Winterberries are dioecious—that is, they have separate male and female plants. In gardens, both sexes must be present for pollination to produce fruiting. This ‘Red Sprite’ variety is a female, and requires pollination by a male variety such as Ilex verticillata 'Jim Dandy'.

Online References:

Older scientific or horticultural names

Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’ description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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