Looking at Plants

Ilex cornuta ‘O’Spring’

COMMON NAMES

O’Spring Chinese Holly

Ilex (EYE-leks) - Latin name for Quercus ilex; now applied to Holly genus

cornuta (kor-NOO-tuh) - horned, in reference to the spines on the leaves

'O’Spring' - cultivar name

GROUP 

Dicot

FAMILY 

Aquifoliaceae

ORIGIN

Species - Eastern Asia; Cultivar -

DESCRIPTION

O’Spring Chinese Holly is an evergreen shrub/small tree that averages 8 to 12 feet in height with a 6 to 8 foot spread. It is can be maintained as a hedge or trained as a multi-stemmed small tree. It has an upright habit with an irregular pyramidal form as it ages. It has a slow to moderate growth rate.

Leaves are evergreen, ovate-shaped with spined margins, alternate in arrangement, simple, shiny, and dark green in color with creamy-yellow variegation. It has pinnate veins.

The white flowers are fragrant, small, and are borne in clusters. It blooms in the springtime.

This cultivar is said to be a male and thus does not produce berries (though there are some sources that say just the opposite – we have yet to see any berries.).

HARDINESS

It is hardy in USDA Zones 7 to 9. It has good heat tolerance.

LIGHT

Full sun/part shade; it will be a bushier plant in full sun, but it likes a little shade from the hot afternoon sun; it can become a little leggy in heavy shade.

SALT

Poor Salt Spray Tolerance – it’s risky for this plant to be put in a coastal area as it has minimal tolerance. It would require multiple layers of protection such as in a greenhouse, indoors, or in a small enclosed area such as a courtyard beyond the dunes.

SOIL

It will grow on a wide variety of well-drained soils, preferring a slightly acid soil of pH 6.0 to 6.5, but tolerating a wider range.

WATERING

It has good drought tolerance once established, so minimal watering is needed for survival in dry spells. As with most plants, though, ample irrigation in droughts keeps it healthier and looking better.

PROPAGATION

Semi-hardwood cuttings taken in summer with a rooting hormone and put under mist will usually produce roots in about 16 to 20 weeks.

PRUNING

If clipping as a hedge, try to keep the top more narrow than the bottom to keep the plant from becoming leggy-especially if grown in partial shade. It can be trained as a multi-stemmed tree with diligent removal of lower branches or it can be left to its natural somewhat pyramidal form.

FERTILIZING

Since it prefers an acid soil, a slow-release balanced analysis fertilizer for acid-loving plants is best. If your soil is already acid enough, then a general slow-release analysis can be used.

PESTS

Aphids - University of California

Florida Wax Scale - University of Florida

Black Scale - University of Florida

Tea Scale - University of Florida

Citrus Longhorned Beetle - University of Florida

Twolined Spittlebug - University of Florida

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter - University of Florida

Southern Red Mite - University of Florida

Twospotted Mite - University of Florida

False Spider Mite - Brevipalpus californicus - University of Florida

Red and Black Flat Mite - University of Florida

Twobanded Japanese Weevil - University of Florida

Holly Leaf Miner - Missouri Botanical Gardens

Whiteflies - University of California

Saddleback Caterpillar - University of Florida

Thorn Bug - University of Florida

DISEASES

Sphaeropsis Gall - University of Florida

Ramorum Blight - University of Arkansas

Botryosphaeria Canker and Dieback - Virginia Cooperative Extension

Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot - Michigan State University

Witch’s Broom - University of Florida

Black Root Rot - Cornell University

DEER

Resistant

There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything.

OTHER

USES

Specimen plant, hedges/screening, mixed borders, mass planting

TOXICITY

A search of California Poison Control, ASPCA, Texas A&M University, Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, University of Wisconsin, Poisonous Houseplants and Ornamentals - Merck Vet Manual, Purdue University - Guide to Toxic Plants in Forages, Poisonous Plants of the Southeastern United States - Alabama Cooperative Extension, Florida Poison Control, and The Cat Fanciers Association did not show this specific plant on any of their lists.

California Poison Control does give Ilex spp. a listing of:

3 – Moderate - Ingestion of these plants is expected to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms that may cause illness but is not life-threatening.

The Cat Fanciers Association lists Holly as toxic to cats.

Some Holly species have documented evidence of toxicity such as Ilex opaca – American Holly;  Florida Poison Control lists as: American Holly - Eating leaves and berries can cause drowsiness, vomiting,  and dehydration.

The general warning for many other hollies seems to apply mostly to the berries, but if this cultivar is a male it shouldn’t produce berries.