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| Common Name: |
Ilex, Dwarf Yaupon Holly (see cultivars for more information) |
| Scientific Name: |
Ilex vomitoria 'Nana' |
| Hardiness Zone: |
Zones 9a through 11 |
| Family: |
Aquifoliaceae |
General Information
The symmetrical, dense, rounded form of Dwarf Yaupon Holly requires only infrequent pruning to maintain its 4 to 6-foot height and spread. Unpruned plants eventually grow 7- to 10-feet-tall and slightly wider. Roots producesprouts at the edge of the canopy producing dense thickets with time. Ideally suited as low-growing foundation plants, Dwarf Yaupon Holly is also excellent as a tall ground cover for a large-scale commercial or industrial landscape. It can be shapes. Most people "meatball" the plant into a globe. The small, gray-green leaves of ‘Nana’ have no spines and this cultivar of a female plant rarely produces berries. Leaves are slightly larger than on 'Schillings'. Growing well in sun or light shade in soils from dry to wet, Dwarf Yaupon Holly withstands drought when established and is highly salt-tolerant, making it ideally suited to seaside plantings. It is a selection of the native Yaupon Holly which grows naturally without irrigation on the dunes along the Atlantic Ocean. Growth rate is slow to moderate. Space plants 4 to 5 feet apart in a mass planting. Be sure to set plants several feet back from a walk, driveway or lawn area, because plants grow wider than tall and often require pruning to control their lateral growth. If you need to prune in this manner, be sure to leave the bottom of the plant much wider than the top so lower foliage is left on the plant. If you attempt to shear vertically, the lower branches are shaded and often lose foliage. This will give the shrub an unsightly, dark, leafless bottom.
| Bark Characteristics: |
The bark is smooth and gray and is often mottled with yellow-green patches of lichen. |
| Leaf/Foliage Characteristics: |
The yaupon has simple, leathery, dark green leaves leaves that are held alternately on the branches. Leaves are oval shape, usually about 0.25-1 in (0.6-2.5 cm) and crenate (like sawteeth) along the edges. |
| Growth Characteristics |
The Weeping Yaupon Holly does not sprout from the roots, like other varieties of the species. A tough native of the southern United States, Yaupon Holly grows quickly in a variety of locations, from full sun or shade to seaside or swamps, in sand or clay. It will grow in soil with a pH in the 7's and is very tolerant of drought and sea salt. Protect the tree when tempertures approach 40 degrees F. |
| Flower/Fruit Characteristics: |
Yaupon is dioecious which means that male and female flowers are born on separate plants. The tiny white flower appear in spring in great numbers and are borne in the leaf axils, close against the stem. Female flowers are following by small bright red berries that persist on the trees through fall and winter. |
| Lighting: |
Full sun; although in its natural habitat, it will tolerate heavy shade, possibly causing the leaves to be larger. |
| Watering: |
This plant is suitable for growing indoors; Requires consistently moist soil; do not let dry out between waterings. |
| Feeding: |
Balanced fertilizer during growing season. |
| Pruning/Wiring: |
Prune new shoots back to 2-3 leaves during growth. Prune above a leaf facing in the direction you want new growth to extend. The flexible branches make wiring easy, although the bark will need to be protected. Wire from spring-autumn. |
| Propagation: |
Collected specimens will make for better bonsai. Collect Ilex in the early spring. Cuttings and air-layerings will also work. Growing from seed, while possible, will take a fairly long time to develop. Nurseries are a good source of this material, should you be unable to collect a specimen. |
| Potting: |
Ilex can be repotted every 1-2 years using a well draining bonsai soil. Care should be taken when handling large rootballs, removing no more than 25% per repotting. |
| Pests: |
Leaf-miners, leaf spot, aphids, scale, mites and spittlebugs have been known to attack Ilex. |
| Diseases: |
Twig gall may occur in response to a fungal infection. The over production of fruit may weaken the tree. |
| Bibliography: |
ENH 470, ENH 471, FPS-274, Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date November 1993. Reviewed October 2003 Edward F. Gilman, professor, Environmental Horticulture Department; Dennis G. Watson, associate professor, Agricultural Engineering Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611. |
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