Ilex myrtifolia (Myrtle Holly)

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• USDA Hardiness Zone: 8A to 9B
• Mature Height: 20 to 40 ft
• Mature Spread: 15 to 20 ft
• Growth Rate: moderate
• Availability: somewhat available in small sizes
• Drought Tolerance: good
• Salt Tolerance: unknown
• Light Requirements: full sun to part shade
• Native Origin: Native to north Florida
• Soil Drainage: well drained soil is best
• Foliage: Evergreen tree with no showy fall color.
• Flowers: White, not showy flowers in the spring.
• Pests: scale can infest many hollies

Gainesville Observations: Trees produce a good leader that appears easy to train into a dominant trunk. They were easy to prune to a good form and shearing was not needed to craft a dense symmetrical canopy. They can be grown with branches to the ground or low branches can be removed to create a "standard" form. Trees could be a candidates for planting near power lines where space permits.

• Trees in our test
• Test protocol
• Trees by Florida region
  • Southeast Florida
    
  • Southwest Florida
    
  • Central Florida
    
  • Northeast Florida
    
  • North Central Florida
    
  • Northwest Florida
    
• Urban tree selection
• Tree placement
• It's the law
• Pruning near wires
  
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