About Ilex ambigua (Michx.) Elliott
Ilex ambigua (Michx.) Elliott is a large shrub or small tree that reaches up to 6 metres (20 ft) in height. Its branches are covered in shiny dark brown or black bark that becomes flaky as the plant ages. Twigs of this species are purple, and some branches bear a thick coat of fine hairs. Leaves grow up to 18 centimeters (7.2 inches) long and 7 cm (2.8 inches) wide, with leaf margins that are partially or fully toothed or wavy. This species is dioecious, meaning male and female reproductive structures grow on separate individual plants. Its fruit is a spherical red drupe, and seeds are dispersed by animals that consume the fruits. Ilex ambigua grows in a wide range of sandy habitat types, including sand scrub, hammocks, and hardwood forests and woodlands. It can grow alongside pines such as loblolly, slash, and shortleaf pine, various oak species, and sometimes occurs with its relative, American holly. The documented forms and varieties of this species are: Ilex ambigua f. ambigua, Ilex ambigua var. ambigua, Ilex ambigua f. mollis (A. Gray) H.E. Ahles, and Ilex ambigua var. monticola (A. Gray) Wunderlin & Poppleton.
