Common Winterberry

Ilex verticillata

native · Central Texas

Common Winterberry is a tree native to Central Texas that grows 15 ft tall. It wants part shade to shade and high water, and handles clay soil. Blooms white in late spring. Good for birds and butterflies.

Wet ground only. Usually found in wetlands and creek bottoms. It wants reliably moist ground and struggles in a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

5 sources

Type: Tree
Sun: Part shade to shade (2–4 hrs of direct sun)
Water: High
Height: About 15 ft
Bloom: Late Spring · white
Foliage: Deciduous or dies back in winter
Soil: Takes clay
Wildlife: Supports birds and butterflies

Where it grows

1 occurrence record in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.