Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_6527.JPG-06-16-2023
Flower name (scientific): Ilex verticillata (Linnaeus) Asa Gray PY: 1848. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) EE-leks ver-tik-il-LAY-tah
Flower name (common): Winterberry
Family name (common): Holly
Family name (scientific): Aquifoliaceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: Taken from the specific epithet for the Holm oak, Quercus ilex, which has similar foliage.
    Specific epithet: Latin for having whorls, in reference to the leaves.
Common name origin: The bright red berries of this plant persist through the winter.
Flower description:
     Size: 0.2 to 0.3 inches (5 to 8 mm)
     Petal count: 4 to 8
     Color: white
     Other: flower arrangement, Cluster-cyme
Plant description:
     Size: 60 to 240 inches (1.5 to 6.1 m)
     Stem hairy: glabrous
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is alternate, type is simple
     Size: Leaves up to 7 to 10 cm long and up to 2 to 4.5 cm wide.
     Color: medium to darker green
     Hairy: upper surface glabrous, lower surface sparsely pubescent along veins.
     Other: Shape: leaf, elliptic to ovate (IL)
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Native
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): May to July
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Perennial
Habitat: Woods, swamps, edges of rivers and lakes, sun or part sun, moist to wet.
Fruit: A bright red globoid berry, about 6 to 8 mm in diameter. These berries persist into the winter months.
Seed:
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): No close lookalikes. Ilex decidua has some similarity, but this is not present in Wisconsin or Minnesota, it is native to the south-central and south-eastern US states.
Ethnobotany: The Ojibwe utilized the bark as a medicine, with use uncertain, possibly for diarrhea (Smith, p. 355, 1932).
Latitude: 44.799615
Longitude: -91.505685
Altitude: 209.70
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Burnett, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Grant, Green, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kewaunee, La Crosse, Lafayette, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Milwaukee, Monroe, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Pepin, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Richland, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washburn, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV) Click here for distribution map
In Canada: (NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC) Click here for distribution map
References:
Synonym(s):
Basionym: Prinos verticillatus L. Sp. Pl.: 330 (1753).
Homotypic Synonym(s): POWO lists 1 homotypic synonym for this species.
Heterotypic Synonym(s): POWO lists 19 heterotypic synonyms for this species.
Autonym: na
Wetland Status (NC): FACW
Wetland Status (MW): FACW