Horned Holly
Ilex cornuta · Aquifoliaceae · 호랑가시나무
How to spot it
The name comes from the sharp, hard spines at the corners of the hexagonal leaf, said to look like a tiger's claws; as the tree grows, the spines gradually fade until only one remains.
Look
- Leaves
- Leaves are alternate, thick and glossy, elliptic-hexagonal, 3.5 to 10 cm long, and the corner points become sharp spines.
- Flowers
- In April to May, fragrant flowers 7 mm across grow in umbels of 5 to 6.
- Fruit
- Round drupes 8 to 10 mm across ripen red; each holds 4 seeds and they mature from mid-October to mid-December.
Where it grows
- In Korea
- Native (Korean Peninsula)
- Native to
- Northern to southern China; in Korea it grows in Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do and Jeju-do.
- Ecology
- Grows wild in coastal forests, forming stands with trees such as golden rain tree. It likes sunny, deep, fertile soil and is weak against cold.
Famous Horned Holly trees in Korea
- Horned Holly of Yangnim-dong, GwangjuProvincial Monument · about 400 years · Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju
- Horned Holly of Sangbang-ri, NajuNatural Monument No. 516 · Gongsan-myeon, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do
- Horned Holly Community of Docheong-ri, BuanNatural Monument No. 122 · Byeonsan-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do