Other Common Names:
False Holly
Mountain Holly is a slender shrub found in most wooded areas in the province. It varies in height from 6 feet up to 12 feet and rarely exceeds 1 inch in diameter.
It is a moisture-loving shrub growing in wet woods) edges of bogs and in low barrens.
The leaves often grow in tufts on short lateral branches and so give a leafy effect to the tree. When compared with other species of the Holly family it falls far below them in beauty and attractiveness. The wood is of no commercial importance.
DESCRIPTION
LEAVES: Alternate, simple, entire or obscurely toothed, 1/2 to 2 inches long, rounded or acute at the base, with a short, sharp abrupt tip; shiny, light yellow green above, paler below.
FLOWERS: May-June, bisexual, white, small, on long slender stems in the axils of the leaves.
FRUIT: September, nearly spherical, berry-like, bright red, 1/4 of an inch in diameter; nutlets 4 to 5.
TWIGS: Slender, smooth, reddish brown. Terminal bud very small, shiny, smooth; dark brown to black, cone shaped; laterals similar.
BARK: Greenish-grey to ashen-grey, often the host of many lichens.
WOOD: Light, moderately hard, not strong, diffuse-porous; creamy white with lighter sapwood.
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