Ilex ambigua
| Ilex ambigua | |
|---|---|
| |
| Photo by Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org | |
| 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
Contents
Taxonomic notes
Synonyms: Ilex ambigua var. ambigua; I. montana var. mollis (A. Gray) Britton; I. montana var. beadlei W.W. Ashe) Fernald; I. beadlei W.W. Ashe; I. buswellii Small; I. ambigua (Michaux) Torrey var. monticola (A. Gray) Wunderlin & Poppleton; I. beadlei var. laevis W.W. Ashe; I. caroliniana Trelease ex Small; I. mollis A. Gray
Ilex derives from the ancient name of the European holly oak and ambigua refers to the similarity to other Ilex species [1].
Description
I. ambigua is a perennial large shrub or small tree that has glabrous to densely pubescent, irregular branches. The fruit is a red, translucent drupe that is eaten by animals such as birds, squirrels and deer [2].
"Trees or shrubs, usually with imperfect flowers. Leaves simple, entire, serrate, dentate or crenate; stipules obsolete. Flowers axillary, solitary, fascicled or in cymes, 4-7 merous, 4-8 mm broad; petals united at the base, imbricate in bud; pistillate flowers usually with nonfunctional stamens; anthers opening lengthwise; stigmas 4-7, essentially sessile. Drupe red, black or rarely yellow or white. Seeds with hard, bony endocarp (pyrenes), often grooved or ribbed on the back, 4-7 in a fruit, 1 in each locule." - Radford et al 1964
"Small to large shrub or small tree, branches glabrous to densely pubescent. Leaves deciduous, glabrous to densely pubescent, beneath, glabrous to slightly pubescent and dull above, lanceolate, or obovate to elliptic, 4-18 cm long, 1.5-7 cm wide, acute or acuminate, finely to coarsely serrate, or crenate-serrate; petioles 0.3-1.5 cm long. Pedicels 1-3 mm long, glabrous to densely pubescent. Staminate flowers fascicled, usually on spur shoots. Pistillate flowers axillary, solitary, usually on short sour growths. Flowers 4-merous. Drupe red, translucent, globose, 5-9 mm in diam.; pyrenes 4, with fairly deep furrows on the back, 4-7 mm long. This is probably our most polymorphic species and is here recognized by two fairly distinct varieties: var. ambigua and var. montana." - Radford et al 1964
Distribution
The native range includes the Coastal Plain from North Carolina, northern Georgia, northern Alabama, central Arkansas, and southeastern Oklahoma south to central Florida, the Gulf Coast, and eastern Texas [2].
Ecology
Habitat
In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, Ilex ambigua occurs in well drained sites such as 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 (FSU Herbarium). Stephenson (1986) found that I. ambigua is one of the leading dominants in successional areas that were once dominated by the American chestnut. 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, I. opaca, I. glabra, Panicum commutatum, Calamintha georgiana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Castanea pumila, Crataegus, Desmodium ochroleucum and Commelina erecta (FSU Herbarium).
Phenology
This is a dioecious species that produces sessile, red, translucent, drupes when fertilized [2]. The fruits are elliptical, rather than round and fall quick after ripening [3]. Flowers April through May and fruits April through December (FSU Herbarium).
Seed dispersal
Seeds are dispersed by animals [2].
Seed bank and germination
No specific information is available for seed germination requirements[2].
Fire ecology
It occurs in Florida sand pine scrubs which are maintained by fire every 10 to 100 years; however, it may be eliminated from the understory in communities that are subject to frequent fires. When fire is suppressed in sand pine scrubs, I. ambigua is one of the early successional hardwoods that appear[2].
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
Use by animals
The drupes are eaten by animals such as birds, white tailed deer, and squirrels[2].
Conservation and Management
This species is listed threatened by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services[2].
Cultivation and restoration
Photo Gallery
Flowers of Ilex ambigua Photo by Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
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: October 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, George R. Cooley, Kathleen Craddock Burks, A. Gholson Jr., Robert K. Godfrey, Mary G. Henry, Melvin Jackson, Lisa Keppner, R. Kral, Sidney McDaniel, Mary E. Nolan, R.A. Norris, James D. Ray Jr. States and Counties: Florida: Alachua, Calhoun, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Holmes, Jackson, Lake, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Orange, Sarasota, Wakulla, Walton, Washington. Georgia: Baker, Decatur, Grady, Marion. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.
Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 679-81. Print.
Stephenson, S. L. (1986). "Changes in a Former Chestnut-Dominated Forest after a Half Century of Succession." American Midland Naturalist 116(1): 173-179.
