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Ilex meserveae

Aquifoliaceae

(=I. aquifolium x I. rugosa)

A cross between indigenous and eastern Siberian / northern Japanese Ilex species. Cultivated as an especially frost hardy, evergreen variety with plentiful fruit.

Habit
There are presently more than 20 varieties; usually small to large shrubs; see overview of varieties.
Flowers
Dioecious, numerous small white flowers in May; somewhat fragrant.
Fruits
Female varieties sometimes have a lot of fruit, pea-size or somewhat larger, light to shiny red, colours appearing later than with I. aquifolium, persistent; poisonous.
Leaves
Evergreen, never turning colours despite the name; bronze-green when shooting, then shiny dark green, often blackish or crimson-green in winter, leathery, soft, thorns hardly prickly.
Demands
Sun to light shade, few fruits in deep shade, likes warmth, usually frost hardy, good in urban areas.
Soil
Fresh to moist, acidic to slightly alkaline, well drained, sandy-humic substrates favourable; not growing on heavy soil, where its hardiness is also not satisfactory.
Hardiness
Zone 6b
Also see chapter on topiary plants

Overview of varieties of Ilex meserveae

Variety Habit Size in m
H: Height
W: Width 		Fruits
'Blue Angel' Small shrub, compact, bushy, upright, dense shoots,
slow-growing 		H: 1,2-1,5
W: 1,5-2,
oldest specimens 2-3 m tall 		red, turning colours late, persistent from October into spring
'Blue Maid' Large shrub, conical, fast-growing H: 2-4 (5)
W: 1,5- 2,5 		light red, many fruits
'Blue Prince' Normal to large shrub, conical, broadly bushy, compact H: 2-4
W: 1-2 (3) 		male variety, important pollen for the other varieties
'Blue Princess' Large shrub, asymmetrically conical to broad-bushy, upright, dense branching, slow-growing H: 2-4 (5)
W: 2-3 		light red, very many fruits