Ilex crenata
Ilex crenata, also known as Japanese holly or box-leaved holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to East and Southeast Asia.
Distribution and habitat
I. crenata is native to temperate and subtropical parts of eastern China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Himalayas, Myanmar, Vietnam and Sakhalin, Russia.Description
It is an evergreen shrub growing to a height of 3–4 m tall, with a trunk diameter up to 20 cm. The leaves are glossy dark green, small, 10–30 mm long and 10–17 mm broad, with a crenate margin, sometimes spiny. The plants are dioecious, with white, four-lobed flowers. The fruit is a black drupe 5 mm diameter, containing four seeds. It grows well in acidic soil, between a pH of 3.8 and 6.0.Cultivation
Ilex crenata is grown as an ornamental plant for its dense evergreen foliage, and is a popular plant among bonsai enthusiasts and suburban property developers alike. It is superficially similar in appearance to boxwood, and is often used in similar situations, such as low hedging; but it can readily be distinguished from boxwood by its alternate, not opposite, leaf arrangement.Numerous cultivars have been selected, including plants with the leaves variegated, dark green, or greyish-green ; with yellow fruit ; and with an erect habit, and spreading, or dwarf. The cultivars 'Golden Gem' and ‘Fastigiata’ have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.