Winter Red Winterberry or Winterberry Holly               I-leks ver-ti-si-LA-ta

• Broadleaf deciduous shrub, to about 8 ft (2.4 m) tall and wide, suckering, an upright rounded habit.  Leaves alternate, simple, elliptic-lanceolate, tip long pointed, dark green.  A female plant, heavy producer of bright red fruit (about 8 mm wide) if pollinated by a male selection (the cultivar 'Southern Gentleman' often recommended).  Fruit often persists throughout the winter and sometimes into early spring.
• Sun to partial shade.  Adapts to many soil types, best in moist, organic soil.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 3     Introduced by the Simpson Nursery, Vincennes, Indiana.  A popular cultivar.