Ilex ambigua

Ilex ambigua
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Order:	Celastrales
Family:	Aquifoliaceae
Genus:	Ilex
Species:	I. ambigua
Binomial name
Ilex ambigua (Michx.) Torr.
Natural range of Ilex ambigua from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Carolina holly

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, Ilex ambigua occurs in magnolia-hickory hammocks, longleaf pine-turkey oak sand ridges, edges of limestone sinks, Pinus clausa/Ceratolia scrubs, stabilized sand dunes, and calcareous slopes in mesic deciduous woodlands. It appears in disturbed areas such as old fields, railroad beds, and disturbed pine flatwoods (FSU Herbarium). Soils include loam, sand, loamy sand, and reddish clay (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include Ilex vomitoria, Panicum commutatum, Calamintha georgiana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Castanea pumila, Crataegus, Desmodium ochroleucum and Commelina erecta (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

It is documented to flower April through May and fruit April through December (FSU Herbarium).

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Ilex ambigua at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Apidae: Apis mellifera

Halictidae: Agapostemon splendens, Lasioglossum pectoralis

Leucospididae: Leucospis slossonae

Pompilidae: Anoplius marginalis

Sphecidae: Cerceris fumipennis, Isodontia mexicana

Vespidae: Euodynerus boscii boharti, Polistes metricus, Stenodynerus lineatifrons, Zethus spinipes

References and notes

Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: Collectors: States and Counties: Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.