Ilex mucronata – Catberry, Mountain Holly (Unsexed) – 2-Gallon

Not as well known as Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), perhaps because it’s comparatively rarer in the wild and perhaps because it doesn’t hold its fruit through the winter and thus is less ornamental. The reason the fruits disappear before winter is that they are a bird favorite. So what Mountain Holly lacks in ornamental value it makes up for in value to birds and other wildlife. This is a cold-climate tree, becoming more common north of our region and scarce south of us. It has perfect and male flowers on some plants, and perfect and female flowers on others, i.e. mostly dioecious, but with some perfect flowers and so will produce some fruit without a pollenizer, but more with cross-pollination.