Winterberry

 

Winterberry 
photo by Ruth Forsgren

by Ruth Forsgren, Naturalist Beaver Creek Reserve

Now that the leaves have dropped maybe you have noticed, especially in wet areas these bushes that are loaded with bright red berries all clustered along the stem. This is a native shrub known as Common Winterberry (Ilex verticillata).

Holly
 (image from Flikr)

Winterberry is a member of the holly family; but, unlike its cousins it does not have the leaves with spiny tips around the margin, nor does it retain its leaves throughout the winter.  Winterberry shrubs range from five to fifteen feet in height and are more common in wetter, acidic soils. So, in Wisconsin this means that you are more likely to find Winterberry in the northern and western parts of the state. The native range covers most of the eastern part of North America.

The winterberry is what is known as a dioecious. The word dioecious comes from the Greek word for two households. In the case of winterberry, it refers to two different types of plants being needed for fruit production. The male plant produces small, white pollen producing flowers. These flowers are known as staminate flowers. The female plants produce non-pollen producing pistillate flowers. The female flowers need to be pollenated with pollen from the male plants to produce fruit. The plants are primarily pollinated by native bees.

Frost on Winterberry 
photo by Ruth Forsgren

Winterberry is the host plant for Henry’s Elfin butterfly. Throughout their range, the bright red fruits are known to be used as a food source by small mammals and 48 species of birds including American Robins, Cedar Waxwings and various woodpeckers.  Although the berries are a good food source for the birds the bush itself does not seem to make good browse for deer and rabbits. While the berries are a food source for wildlife they are poisonous to humans.

photo by Ruth Forsgren

 

The fruits, while so very attractive on the bush, do not dry well. The branches and berries can be kept in a live cut-flower arrangement for several days. Think you might like winterberry in your yard? You can purchase various Winterberry cultivars at local nurseries. Remember you have to buy both a male and female plant. Because flowering times of cultivars can vary be sure to buy the right male counterpart to your female plant. People at the nursery should be able to help with this.