Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion
Savannah holly
Ilex x attenuata
Savannah holly leaves and berries; cultivar named by the Wikimedia Commons contributor.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadePhoto by David J. Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Female selection with heavy fruit; a compatible male nearby improves crop.
Study several mature leaves; spine count and blade width overlap among holly hybrids and parents.
More growing details
Read the bark
Light gray bark is relatively smooth when young.
Fruit & seed
Red berry-like drupes can be abundant; these do not by themselves prove a named selection.
Winter character
Persistent leaves provide winter material, but cultivar confirmation still needs provenance.
Origin & place
A cultivated selection of a hybrid between American and dahoon hollies, both North American species. Hybrid parentage does not establish local wild nativity.
Compare with American holly
The native-parent hybrid overlaps American and dahoon holly; a nursery record is essential for Savannah or Foster identification.
WNC Notes
Female selection with heavy fruit; a compatible male nearby improves crop.
Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
20–30
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
10–15
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
BLOOM COLOR
White
FALL / WINTER COLOR
Evergreen; red fruit
Wet-Soil Tolerance
High
Drought Tolerance
High
LOOK CLOSELY
Two views, a closer look.
Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.
Savannah holly leaves and berries; cultivar named by the Wikimedia Commons contributor.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadePhoto by David J. Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.branch with spiny green leaves and small white flowers. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeZihao Wang ↗ · CC BY 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
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