Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Aquifoliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Ilex coriacea
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Sweet Gallberry at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ilex coriacea
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 112-01-010:
Ilex coriacea FAMILY Aquifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ilex coriacea
COMMON NAME:
Sweet Gallberry, Big Gallberry, Large Gallberry
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_ilco_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_ilco_003_lvd
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmicoriacea_junkyard1
April Clarendon County SC
Pistillate flowers have ovaries and sterile stamens.
)
Keith Bradley kab_ilex_coriacea_7119
May Lexington County SC
Shealey's Pond Heritage Preserve
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmicoriacea_steed1
May Berkeley County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Staminate flowers have fertile stamens and lack ovaries.
)
Will Stuart wil_10800585184
November Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Stems on new growth of I. coriacea tend to be reddish (vs. older twigs gray). — Will Stuart
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Sharleen Johnson shj_1100619717315600
December Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Leaves 1.5-3× as long as wide, generally about 2-3cm wide, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
Sharleen Johnson shj_1131993954148697
December Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Ilex coriacea
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ilex coriacea
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 112-01-010:
Ilex coriacea
FAMILY
Aquifoliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Ilex coriacea
2541
Shrub
Perennial
Usually dioecious
Habitat: pocosins, more restricted to wet, peaty sites than I. glabra, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (rare in Piedmont)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Leaf margins entire or with a few irregularly spaced spinose prickles
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White/Greenish-white
5-9 merous
5-9 sepals
5-9 petals
Usually unisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p348
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p342
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p172
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p087
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p076
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p217
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p172
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p172
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".