Delaware State Tree

Delaware State Tree

American Holly 

Aquifoliaceae Ilex opaca. Delaware Holly Tree

Leaf
Alternate, simple, and persistent, thickened and leathery, elliptical
in shape, 2 to 4 inches long, dark green and shiny above, pale green below with
entire or spiny-toothed margins.

Flower

Dioecious, dull green-white, male flowers on 3 to 7 flowered cymes,
female flowers are solitary with a pleasant odor. Flowers apparent April to
June.

Fruit

A berry-like drupe, red, rarely yellow when ripe, 1/4 inch in diameter,
containing ribbed nutlets. Maturing September to October, persisting on the tree into winter.

Twig

Slender with rust-colored pubescence.

Bark

Light gray, with prominent warts.

Form

A small tree, with a thick crown and pyramidal form, usually with branches
to the ground.

Copyright 2019 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental
Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen,
Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag
Handbook 654; range map source information